The Israeli Cabinet of Ministers approved the ceasefire agreement
Israel’s Cabinet approved a ceasefire deal early Saturday that would free dozens of hostages held in Gaza and end a 15-month war with Hamas, bringing the two sides a step closer to ending the deadliest and most destructive fighting to date.
The government ratified the agreement early Saturday after more than six hours of meetings, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The confirmation was announced shortly after 1 a.m. local time in Jerusalem.
24 members of the Cabinet of Ministers were in favor and eight were against. According to Haaretz and other Israeli media.
Mediators Qatar and the United States announced a truce on Tuesday, but the deal remained in limbo for more than a day as Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute complications, which he blamed on the Hamas militant group.
Key questions remain about the truce – the second reached in the 15-month war – the names of the 33 hostages who were to be freed in the first, six-week phase of the truce, and who among them are still alive.
The Cabinet met well past the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, reflecting the importance of the moment. In accordance with Jewish law, the Israeli government suspends all work for the Sabbath, except in emergencies that usually involve life or death.
Netanyahu ordered a special operations team to prepare to receive hostages returning from Gaza. The first 33 people to be freed were all women and children, as well as men over 50, sick or wounded. Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on day 1 of the deal, four on day 7, and the remaining 26 within the next five weeks.
Palestinian prisoners must also be released. Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 95 people to be released in the first phase of the deal, saying the release would not begin until 4:00 p.m. local time on Sunday. All the people on the list are either young or female.
Israel’s Prison Service said the International Committee of the Red Cross, which handled the transport during the first ceasefire, would instead transport the prisoners to avoid “public expressions of joy”. The prisoners are charged with crimes such as incitement, vandalism, support for terrorism, terrorist activities, attempted murder or throwing rocks or Molotov cocktails.
The deal will pave the way for more aid
The largely devastated Gaza must see an increase in humanitarian aid. Aid trucks lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing to Gaza on Friday.
An Egyptian official said a delegation from the Israeli army and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss reopening the crossing. An Israeli official confirmed that a delegation went to Cairo. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Israeli forces will also withdraw from many areas in Gaza in the first phase of the ceasefire, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to their homes.
Ekhlas al-Kafarna, one of the many settlers of Gaza, said while waiting for the decision of the Israeli Cabinet of Ministers: “If Sunday comes, we would be happier, I hope.”
The Israeli military said that as its forces gradually withdraw from certain locations and routes in Gaza, residents will not be allowed to return to areas where troops are present or near the Israel-Gaza border, and that any threats against Israeli forces will be “met with a strong response.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has confirmed that an agreement has been reached with Hamas over the return of hostages held in Gaza after a day of tensions.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people and captured 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with a devastating onslaught that killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who did not distinguish between civilians and militants but said more than half of the dead were women and children.
Fighting continued into Friday, and Gaza’s health ministry said 88 bodies had arrived at hospitals in the past 24 hours. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before a ceasefire in a show of force.
Ceasefire talks have stalled many times in previous months. But Israel and Hamas have been under increasing pressure from both the Biden administration and US President-elect Donald Trump to reach a deal ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The second and more difficult phase of the ceasefire is supposed to be negotiated in the first phase. The rest of the hostages, including the male soldiers, must be released at this stage.
But Hamas has said it will not release any remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to continue fighting and maintain open security control over the area until it dismantles the group.
Longer-term questions about post-war Gaza remain, including who will govern the territory or oversee reconstruction.
The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked protests around the world. It also highlighted the political tensions within Israel, which have led to fierce opposition from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.
On Thursday, Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to dismiss the government if Israel approved the ceasefire. He reiterated, writing on social media platform X on Friday: “If the ‘deal’ goes through, we will leave the government with a heavy heart.”
There were no signs early Saturday that he had done so.
Ben-Gvir’s resignation will not topple the government or derail the ceasefire agreement, but the move will destabilize the government at a delicate moment and could eventually lead to its collapse if Ben-Gvir is joined by other key Netanyahu allies.
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