The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that an agreement has been reached to secure the release of hostages.
Netanyahu had postponed a cabinet vote on Thursday, accusing Hamas of attempting to introduce last-minute changes to the ceasefire deal.
On Friday morning, Netanyahu’s office stated that the negotiating team had confirmed that all terms of the deal were finalized.
“The security cabinet will convene later today to ratify the agreement, after which full government approval will be sought,” the statement read. Families of the hostages have been informed of the developments.
Representatives from Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar have signed the agreement in Doha, according to Israeli media reports.
The deal, first announced on Wednesday by mediators from the US and Qatar, is expected to take effect on Sunday, pending Israeli cabinet approval.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, affirmed the agreement’s timeline, while Netanyahu acknowledged that details were still being finalized but expressed gratitude to US President Joe Biden for his role in facilitating the deal.
However, Netanyahu delayed the vote on Thursday, accusing Hamas of attempting to “extort last-minute concessions.”
Hamas stated it remained committed to the deal, though sources indicated that it sought to include additional members in the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
Despite the finalized terms, the agreement requires approval from Israel’s security cabinet and government before implementation.
Two prominent right-wing ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have voiced their opposition to the deal, threatening to resign in protest.
However, both have indicated they will not destabilize the government, provided the war resumes after the six-week ceasefire period.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism, stating, “We anticipate the ceasefire to commence as planned on Sunday, with the release of the first three Israeli hostages.”
News of the agreement was met with cautious celebrations by many Palestinian and Israeli hostage families.
Despite the ceasefire announcement, the conflict in Gaza has persisted. Gaza civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal reported that Israeli airstrikes since the deal’s announcement have killed 101 people, including 27 children.
The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed strikes on 50 targets during this period.
The initial six-week phase of the agreement will involve the release of 33 hostages, including women, children, and elderly individuals, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza, allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes. Additionally, hundreds of aid trucks will be permitted into Gaza daily.
Negotiations for the second phase, aimed at releasing the remaining hostages, a complete Israeli withdrawal, and achieving “sustainable calm,” are set to begin on the 16th day.
The final phase will focus on retrieving the bodies of remaining hostages and reconstructing Gaza—a process expected to take years.
The conflict erupted after Hamas launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 hostages.
In response, Israel initiated a large-scale campaign against Hamas, which it classifies as a terrorist organization.
Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports over 46,788 fatalities, with widespread displacement, infrastructure destruction, and severe shortages of essential resources affecting Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
Israel confirms that Hamas still holds 94 hostages, including 34 presumed dead, while four Israelis were abducted before the war, two of whom are also deceased.
Source-BBC
