Israel’s cabinet backs deal for Gaza ceasefire and release of dozens of hostages
The ceasefire – just the second achieved during the war – will go into effect on Sunday.
Israel’s cabinet has approved a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza that would release dozens of hostages held there and pause the 15-month war with Hamas, bringing the sides a step closer to ending their deadliest and most destructive fighting ever.
The government announced the approval after 1am Jerusalem time on Saturday, following an hours-long meeting of the full cabinet that went well past the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, in a reflection of the moment’s importance.
In line with Jewish law, the Israeli government usually halts all business for the Sabbath except in emergency cases of life or death.
The ceasefire – just the second achieved during the war – will go into effect on Sunday, though key questions remain, including the names of the 33 hostages to be released during the six-week first phase of the ceasefire and who among them is still alive.
Mr Netanyahu instructed a special task force to prepare to receive the hostages returning from Gaza and said that their families were informed a deal had been reached.
The 33 are women, children, men over 50 and sick or wounded people. Hamas has agreed to free three female hostages on day one of the deal, four on day seven and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks.
Hundreds of Palestinian detainees are to be released as well, and the largely devastated Gaza should see a surge in humanitarian aid.
Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 700 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in the deal’s first phase and said the release will not begin before 4pm local time on Sunday.
All people on the list are younger or female.
Israel’s Prison Services said it will transport the prisoners instead of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which handled transportation during the first ceasefire, to avoid “public expressions of joy”.
The prisoners have been accused of crimes such as incitement, vandalism, supporting terror, terror activities, attempted murder or throwing stones or Molotov cocktails.
An Egyptian official said an Israeli delegation from the military and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency arrived on Friday in Cairo to discuss the reopening of the crossing.
An Israeli official confirmed a delegation was going to Cairo.
Israeli forces will also pull back 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 is left of their homes.
Israel’s military said that as its forces gradually withdraw from specific 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 any threat to Israeli forces “will be met with a forceful response”.
Hamas triggered the war with its October 7 2023 cross-border attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive.
Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has 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 the dead.
In previous conflicts, both sides stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.
The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second – and much more difficult – phase that will be negotiated during the first.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.
Longer-term questions about post-war Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
The conflict has destabilised the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
It has also highlighted political tensions inside Israel, drawing fierce resistance from Mr Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.
On Thursday, Israel’s hard-line national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to quit the government if Israel approved the ceasefire.
He reiterated that on Friday, writing on social media platform X: “If the ‘deal’ passes, we will leave the government with a heavy heart.”
Mr Ben-Gvir’s resignation would not bring down the government or derail the ceasefire deal, but the move would destabilise the government at a delicate moment and could eventually lead to its collapse if Mr Ben-Gvir were joined by other key Netanyahu allies.
