Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has hailed the newly signed Gaza ceasefire agreement as a “historic moment,” expressing optimism for lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. In a rare interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday, Abbas said he hoped the truce would mark an end to years of violence and instability across the region.“What happened today is a historic moment. We have been hoping – and continue to hope – that we can bring an end to the bloodshed taking place in our land, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or East Jerusalem,” Abbas told the channel, according to AFP.“Today, we are very happy that the bloodshed has ceased. We hope it remains this way, and that peace, security, and stability will prevail between us and Israel,” he added.The interview – conducted in Hebrew, with Abbas responding in Arabic – came hours after the ceasefire agreement was formalised, ending months of fighting in Gaza.When asked about US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan outlining a roadmap for Gaza’s reconstruction and Palestinian reforms, Abbas said the Palestinian Authority (PA) had already launched the process.“I want to say honestly – we have launched reforms,” he said. “These reforms include the salaries to prisoners that we agreed with the US and which the US approved,” he added, referring to payments disbursed to families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel.Abbas announced changes to that payment system earlier this year under US and Israeli pressure, amid criticism that the policy – known by opponents as “pay-to-slay” – incentivised violence. The revised plan ties the payments to need-based criteria rather than the length of prison sentences.The Palestinian leader said other reforms in education, health, economic, and security sectors were also underway. “Some have already been completed, and others are ongoing, until the PA becomes a model capable of continuing to lead the Palestinian people,” Abbas said.Trump’s 20-point plan – endorsed by several regional partners – links PA reforms to international efforts to rebuild Gaza and move toward a longer-term political settlement. The plan notes that “while Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”The interview marks one of Abbas’s most conciliatory public statements in recent years and signals cautious optimism amid shifting political dynamics following the ceasefire.
