ISTANBUL

A South Korean civil rights group has said the Gaza cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas should lead to an end to the Israeli occupation in Palestine.

“We will keep a close eye on the implementation of the ceasefire deal and will stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people until there is a permanent ceasefire, until Israeli occupation forces completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” said Urgent Action by South Korean Civil Society on X.

The civil rights group also said that the individuals and the countries involved in war had to be held accountable for their war crimes, stating that alongside other countries like the US, South Korea exported nearly 8.5 billion won ($5.8 million) worth of weapons to Israel between January 2024 to August 2024.

The Israeli Cabinet on Friday approved the prisoner exchange and Gaza cease-fire agreement with Hamas, announced the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

Qatar announced on Wednesday a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas that will come into effect on Sunday to end over 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, where more than 46,700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 110,000 others injured since Oct. 7, 2023.

The deal includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli war on Gaza has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.