Israel’s cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal

Israel’s government has approved a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for it to take effect on Sunday.

This decision was taken after hours of discussion till late night. Two far-right ministers voted against the deal.

According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the Security Cabinet had previously recommended ratifying the agreement, saying it “supports the achievement of war objectives”.

It came hours after both the Prime Minister’s Office and Hamas said they had finalized details of the agreement, two days after it was announced by brokers Qatar, the US and Egypt.

Under the agreement, 33 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza after a 15-month conflict will be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails during the first phase, lasting six weeks.

Israeli forces will also withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries will be allowed into the area each day.

Negotiations for the second phase – which should include the release of remaining hostages, the withdrawal of full Israeli forces and the “restoration of lasting peace” – will begin on the 16th.

The third and final phase would involve the reconstruction of Gaza – which could take years – and the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages.

Qatar has said that the hostages to be released during the first phase will include “civilian women, female soldiers, children, the elderly, and sick and injured civilians”.

Israel says three hostages are expected to be released on the first day of the ceasefire, with further small groups to be released at regular intervals over the next six weeks.

On 7 October 2023, the Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas – which is banned as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US and others – in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack that killed nearly 1,200 people. and 251 were taken hostage. ,

More than 46,870 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Much of the 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there has been widespread destruction, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter as aid struggles to get to those in need.

Israel says 94 hostages are still held by Hamas, of whom 34 are presumed dead. In addition, there are four Israelis who were kidnapped before the war, two of whom have since died.

Before the Israeli government voted on the deal, Culture Minister Miki Zohar of Netanyahu’s Likud party said: “This is a very difficult decision, but we decided to support it because seeing all our children, men and women back is important for us.” is very important.” Home.”

“We hope that in the future we will be able to complete the work in Gaza,” he said.

But far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was “horrified” by the details of the deal, which also includes the release of “terrorists sentenced to life in prison” in exchange for hostages, and he urged other ministers to Urged to participate in voting. Against him.

On Thursday, Ben-Gvir announced that his Jewish Power party would leave the ruling coalition if the agreement was approved. But he said he would not topple the government in parliament and would return “if the war against Hamas resumes in full force”.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right politician opposed to the deal, has said he would leave his Religious Zionism party if the war was not resumed after the end of the first phase.

The three-step structure has also caused division and anxiety among the families of some hostages. They fear that their relatives will be released into Gaza after the completion of the first phase and are urging the government to ensure that the second and third phases are also implemented.

“For 469 days our loved ones have been left in captivity, and now, finally, there is hope,” said Einav Zangoukar, whose 25-year-old son Matan was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

“This agreement must be followed to the end to bring everyone home and end the war. It is in Israel’s interest to end the war, bring everyone home, and return to normalcy.”

The government vote was expected to take place on Thursday, but the meeting was delayed after Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement – ​​a charge Hamas denies.

In the early hours of Friday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the Israeli negotiating team in Doha had finalized the agreement.

Hamas also issued a statement saying that “impasses” that had arisen regarding the terms of the deal had been resolved in the morning.

A source close to Hamas told news agency AFP that the first three hostages to be released will be women.

On Friday, the Israeli Justice Ministry published a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners, saying they would be part of the first group to be freed in exchange for hostages. According to AFP, these included 69 women, 16 men and 10 minors.

A senior Egyptian official told the BBC that a meeting was also held in Cairo on Friday to discuss mechanisms to implement the deal.

All necessary arrangements were agreed to ensure compliance, the official said, including the formation of a joint operations room that will include Egyptian, Qatari, US, Palestinian and Israeli representatives.

Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News TV also cited a source as saying they had agreed to facilitate the entry of 600 aid lorries per day during the ceasefire.

This would require an increase of more than 14 times the daily average of 43 lorries reported by the United Nations in January. But Rick Peppercorn, the World Health Organization’s Gaza representative, said “the possibility is very high” if the Rafah crossing and other crossings with Egypt open.

WHO is also planning to provide a number of pre-fabricated hospitals to support the devastated healthcare sector. Half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are not functioning, while others are only partially functioning.

There has been no relief for Palestinians on the ground in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement was announced on Wednesday night.

Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said a total of 117 Palestinians, including 32 women and 30 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since then.

Tamar Abu Shaban said her young niece was killed by missile shrapnel as she played in the courtyard of a school in Gaza City where her displaced family was taking shelter.

“Is this the ceasefire they’re talking about?” He told this to Reuters news agency while standing near his body in the mortuary. “What did this young girl, this child do to deserve this?”

The Israeli military said on Thursday afternoon that it had struck 50 “terrorist targets” in Gaza the previous day and had taken steps to minimize harm to civilians.