JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s security cabinet recommended on Friday the approval of a ceasefire agreement after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that a deal had been reached that will pause the 15-month war with Hamas in Gaza and release dozens of hostages held by the militants there.
Qatar and United States mediators announced the ceasefire on Wednesday, but the agreement was on hold for over a day as Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute setbacks for which he blamed Hamas.
The militiamen claimed to be "committed" to the agreement, and the population in Gaza and the families of the hostages were eagerly waiting to see if it would materialize.
What are the details of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza?
The agreement now goes to the full cabinet of ministers for final signature. It is expected that they approve the ceasefire, although it has faced strong resistance from allies of Netanyahu's far-right coalition. However, their objections could destabilize his government.
Netanyahu ordered a special task force to prepare for the reception of the hostages returning from Gaza, and pointed out that their families had been informed that an agreement had been reached. The Prime Minister's office noted that if the agreement is given the green light, the ceasefire could begin on Sunday and the first hostages could be released from then on.
According to the agreement, 33 out of the approximately 100 hostages still being held in Gaza will be released in the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will withdraw from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes, and there will be an increase in humanitarian assistance.
The rest of the hostages, including the soldiers, will be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first one.
Hamas warned that it will not return the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal.
Israel, for its part, has committed to continue fighting until it dismantles the insurgent group and to maintain an indefinite security presence in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
An Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed that the last-minute issues were about the list of Palestinian prisoners who will be released from Israeli prisons during the first phase of the agreement, but those have now been resolved.
The Egyptian official pointed out that an Israeli delegation from the army and the internal security agency Shin Bet of Israel arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing, a key link between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
What has the far-right in Israel said about the ceasefire?
On Thursday, Israel's hardline National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to resign from the government if a ceasefire was approved. He reiterated this on Friday, writing on the social media platform X: "If the 'agreement' is approved, we will leave the government with a heavy heart."
Ben-Gvir's resignation would not bring down the government or derail the ceasefire agreement, but it would destabilize the government at a delicate moment and could eventually lead to its collapse if other key allies of Netanyahu were to leave.