Israeli cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel-Palestine conflict news
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The agreement will take effect from Sunday and involves exchanging prisoners held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet has approved a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza after more than 460 days of war in which Israeli forces have killed more than 46,788 Palestinians and wounded 110,453.
Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement that the Israeli government ratified the ceasefire agreement on Saturday morning after a meeting that lasted more than six hours.
“The government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The outline for the release of the hostages will come into effect on Sunday.
After the deal was strongly opposed by some Israeli cabinet hardliners, media reports said that 24 ministers of Netanyahu’s coalition government voted in favor of the deal, while eight opposed it. Earlier on Friday, the Israeli Security Cabinet had voted in favor of the ceasefire agreement.
Under the agreement, the ceasefire begins with an initial six-week phase where detainees in Gaza are released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, opening the way to ending the 15-month-old war.
Brett McGurk, the lead US negotiator in the ceasefire talks, said the White House expected the ceasefire to begin on Sunday morning, with the three female detainees being released to Israel on Sunday afternoon through the Red Cross.
The Israeli Justice Ministry on Friday released a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners to be released in an exchange earlier on Sunday.
“We have locked every single detail into this agreement. We’re very confident … it’s ready to go into effect on Sunday,” McGurk said in a televised interview from the White House.
Following the release of the detainees on Sunday, McGurk said the agreement called for the release of four more female detainees after seven days and that three more detainees would be released every seven days thereafter.
Despite a ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US announced on Wednesday, Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued and have since killed nearly 120 people in the Palestinian territory.
War-torn Gaza should also now see an increase in humanitarian aid. Trucks carrying aid supplies lined up to enter southern Gaza from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border on Friday.
An Israeli delegation from the army and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing, an Egyptian official said.
During the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli forces will also withdraw from several areas of Gaza and thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to their remaining homes in the north of the territory.
