The Israeli Cabinet approves the ceasefire agreement

The Israeli Cabinet early Saturday approved a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would release dozens of hostages held there and end the 15-month-old war with Hamas, bringing both sides a step closer to ending the bloodiest and most destructive fighting on record.

The government approved the agreement in the early hours of Saturday after a meeting that lasted more than six hours, according to a statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The approval was announced just after one o’clock in the morning local time in Jerusalem.

Twenty-four ministers approved the decision and eight opposed it. According to Haaretz newspaper And other Israeli media.

Mediators Qatar and the United States announced a ceasefire on Wednesday, but the agreement remained in limbo for more than a day as Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute complications that he blamed on the armed Hamas movement.

Key questions remain about the ceasefire – the second reached during the 15-month war – including the names of the 33 hostages who will be released during the first six-week phase of the ceasefire and which of them are still in custody. alive.

The Cabinet met long after the start of the Jewish Sabbath, a reflection of the importance of this moment. In keeping with Jewish law, the Israeli government typically suspends all business for the Sabbath except in life-or-death emergencies.

Netanyahu assigned a special task force to prepare to receive hostages returning from Gaza. The 33 people released first were all women and children, as well as men over 50 years old, the sick and the wounded. Hamas agreed to release three hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day, and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.

Palestinian detainees will also be released. The Israeli Ministry of Justice published a list of the names of 95 people who will be released in the first phase of the deal and said that the release will not begin before 4 p.m. local time on Sunday. All people on the list are younger or female.

The Israeli Prison Service said it would transfer the prisoners instead of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which handled the transfer during the first ceasefire, to avoid “public expressions of joy.” The prisoners were charged with crimes such as incitement, sabotage, supporting terrorism, terrorist activities, attempted murder, or throwing stones or Molotov cocktails.

The agreement would pave the way for more aid

The largely devastated Gaza should see an increase in humanitarian aid. Trucks loaded with aid lined up on Friday on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

An Egyptian official said that an Israeli delegation from the army and the Israeli Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss reopening the crossing. An Israeli official confirmed that a delegation will head to Cairo. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.

Israeli forces will also withdraw from many areas in Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes.

“When Sunday comes, we will be happier, God willing,” said Ikhlas al-Kafarna, one of Gaza’s many displaced people, as she waited to hear the Israeli Cabinet’s decision.

The Israeli army said that as its forces gradually withdraw from specific locations and roads in Gaza, residents will not be allowed to return to areas where forces are present or near the border between Israel and Gaza, and any threat to Israeli forces “will be met with extreme force.” answer.”

Hamas led the cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and captured about 250 others. There are still approximately 100 hostages in Gaza.

Israel responded with a devastating attack that killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants, but say women and children make up more than half of the dead.

The fighting continued until Friday, and the Gaza Ministry of Health said that 88 bodies had arrived at hospitals in the past 24 hours. In previous conflicts, both sides intensified military operations in the final hours before the ceasefire as a means of showing strength.

Ceasefire talks had repeatedly faltered in the previous months. But Israel and Hamas have come under increasing pressure from the Biden administration and US President-elect Donald Trump to reach an agreement before Trump takes office on Monday.

The second – and more difficult – phase of the ceasefire is supposed to be negotiated during the first phase. The remaining hostages, including the male soldiers, are scheduled to be released during this phase.

But Hamas said it would not release the remaining prisoners without a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal, while Israel pledged to continue fighting until it dismantles the group and maintains open security control over the region.

Long-term questions remain about post-war Gaza, including who will govern the area or oversee the arduous task of reconstruction.

The conflict has destabilized the Middle East and sparked protests around the world. It also highlighted political tensions within Israel, sparking fierce resistance from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.

On Thursday, hardline Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to resign from the government if Israel agreed to a ceasefire. He reiterated that on Friday, writing on social media platform X: “If the ‘deal’ passes, we will leave government with a heavy heart.”

There was no immediate indication early Saturday that he had done so.

Ben Gvir’s resignation will not bring down the government or derail the ceasefire agreement, but the move will destabilize the government at a sensitive moment and could ultimately lead to its collapse if other key Netanyahu allies join Ben Gvir.