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From the Liveblog of Thursday, January 16, 2025

Hundreds of Iranians gather to celebrate Gaza deal; Ayatollah Khamenei hails Palestinian ‘resistance’

By Agencies and ToI Staff 16 January 2025, 9:00 pm 14 Edit

Iranians wave Palestinian, Hezbollah and national flags as they celebrate the news of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel, in Tehran on January 16, 2025. (AFP)

Hundreds of Iranians are gathering in major cities around the country including the capital Tehran and Tabriz in the northwest to celebrate the announcement of a hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, Iranian state media reports.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hails Palestinian “resistance” after the truce announcement to halt more than 15 months of fighting, saying “the patience of the people of Gaza and the steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance forced the Zionist regime to retreat.”

He adds that Israel was “defeated” after committing “the most heinous crimes, killing thousands of women and children” during its military campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Hamas is among Iran’s axis of proxies in the region, along with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.