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Palestinians from north Gaza welcome ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

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Palestinians from north Gaza welcome ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

2025-01-19 21:47 Last Updated At:23:07

Palestinians from the northern part of the Gaza Strip have welcomed the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, expressing relief and joy over the prospect of rebuilding their lives without fear.

The ceasefire, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, took effect at 11:15 local time (09:15 GMT) on Sunday after a brief delay.

"Thank God for our victory, we will rebuild Gaza to be more beautiful than before without fear. Today is a victory from Gaza to Jenin in the West Bank. Our prisoners will be released from prison within seven days, and we will return to our homes in the north. We're so happy," said Mahmoud ALbaba, a Palestinian from the northern part of Gaza.

Another Palestinian from the northern part of Gaza echoed these sentiments.

"We have won, and we will rebuild our entire country. Our children, women, and all of us will participate in rebuilding our country. Gaza will return to what it was," said Mahmoud Albaby, Hani Ahmed, who is also from the northern part of Gaza.

Saeed Al-Bayed, also from northern Gaza, expressed his joy over the ceasefire deal.

"Our feelings cannot be described. This is a moment of victory for the poor, the wounded, the hungry, and even for those who have died. These are moments of joy for all the people of Gaza that cannot be described," said Al-Bayed.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 captives returned from Gaza with the release of the three female hostages on the first day of the ceasefire and the remaining 30 captives in batches every week.

In exchange, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released.

Displaced Gazans are starting to return to their homes, while aid trucks lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing ahead of the deal going into effect.

In the past 15 months, over 46,000 Palestinian people in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli onslaught which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched surprise attacks on southern Israel.

Palestinians from north Gaza welcome ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

Palestinians from north Gaza welcome ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

Palestinians from north Gaza welcome ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

Palestinians from north Gaza welcome ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas

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Members of Macao ice hockey team visit Harbin's Ice and Snow World

2025-02-06 23:11 Last Updated At:02-07 02:17

Members of the ice hockey team from China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) visited Harbin's renowned Ice and Snow World ahead of the 2025 Asian Winter Games to experience the thrill of the northern winter wonderland and prepare for their historic debut at the Games.

Scheduled to run from Friday to Feb 14 this year, the 9th Asian Winter Games will be held in Harbin for the second time, which hosted the event in 1996.

Before the Games officially starts, three ice hockey players from Team Macao ventured into the winter paradise, a stark contrast to their hometown's subtropical climate.

The highlight of their visit was a ride on the 521-meter-long ice slide, a signature attraction at Harbin Ice and Snow World.

"Before I went on the slide, I thought it can't be better than ice hockey. But when I went on the slide, the speed kind of shocked me," said Hu Zhaoting Tse, a player from Team Macao.

Team Macao, composed of office workers, teenagers, and even firefighters, trains weekly across the Greater Bay Area. The completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has significantly enhanced their training, giving them access to facilities that they don’t have at home.

Lei Pak In, another hockey player, praised the high-tech facilities at the Games' venues.

"I feel like the facilities at the Winter Games were really nice. Really high tech. The ice was really smooth. Like for us in Macao, we haven't had a real working rink in almost three years," he said.

The team also explored Harbin's immersive virtual reality (VR) activities, which offered unique haptic feedback, a novelty compared to traditional VR setups.

"I feel like the haptics were really unique for this one, because usually in VR, it's all just eyes, but here there are even heaters," said Lei.

Reflecting on a recent match against Hong Kong, a strong regional rival, the players said that over the past decade teams from Hong Kong and Macao were evenly matched, but now both are motivated to outperform each other in the coming years.

As they set their sights on winning at the upcoming Asian Winter Games, the young players are also eager to learn from their Asian counterparts. Despite the challenges of limited local infrastructure, their passion for ice hockey remains undeterred, and they are determined to continue chasing their dreams.

Members of Macao ice hockey team visit Harbin's Ice and Snow World

Members of Macao ice hockey team visit Harbin's Ice and Snow World

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