A view of damage at a residential building following an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia after Israel and Gaza reached a ceasefire deal, in the north of Gaza City, on Thursday.
Hasan N. H. Alzaanin
Israel’s security cabinet has voted to approve a ceasefire deal to end the fighting in Gaza. The decision came two days after mediators Qatar and the United States announced an agreement had been reached with Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.
“After examining all political, security, and humanitarian aspects, and understanding that the proposed deal supports achieving the war objectives,” the security cabinet recommends the government approve the ceasefire deal, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
The full Israeli cabinet will meet later Friday to consider the deal, the statement added.
The security cabinet is made up of a handful of the most senior members of the government overseeing the course of the war in Gaza, and it’s likely the fuller body will also approve the deal, clearing the way for implementation of the deal.
Earlier Friday, the prime minister’s office posted on X saying that Hamas would release the first hostages on Sunday, if the deal got final Israeli government approval.
On Wednesday, President Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and key mediators Qatar and Egypt announced an agreement had been reached to halt the fighting after 15 months of war.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, called the agreement the “right move” and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to proceed with it.
But the prime minister’s office had said there remained several “unresolved issues” that needed to be addressed by the cabinet, throwing some uncertainty over the deal. He did not clarify what the issues were. Far-right ministers have voiced opposition to the deal, and one has threatened to quit if it goes ahead.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack gather in favor of the Gaza ceasefire in front of the Israeli defense ministry in Tel Aviv on Thursday.
JACK GUEZ
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he still expects the ceasefire to take effect on Sunday. The agreement foresees a six-week ceasefire, with a first phase to include the staggered release of 33 hostages held in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees held in Israel, as well as a partial Israeli military withdrawal and a surge in humanitarian aid going into the besieged coastal enclave.
During that first phase, the sides would begin talks to find a permanent end to the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with a surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas-led militants based in Gaza. That attack killed some 1,200 people and 250 were taken captive, according to Israeli officials. It triggered an Israeli military campaign to destroy Hamas that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
This is a developing story that will be updated.