Israeli government approves agreement with Hamas for ceasefire in Gaza - Walla
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (photo: Getty Images)
The Israeli government has approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas and the release of hostages held in Gaza. The agreement was reached on Saturday at 1:00 AM after more than seven hours of debate, according to a statement from the office of the Israeli Prime Minister and local and international media outlets.
The meeting was supposed to start at 3:30 p.m. but began around 6:30 p.m. instead. A group of 33 ministers approved the agreement following a recommendation made earlier on Friday by the security cabinet. 24 ministers voted in favor, while 8 voted against. The opponents included ministers from the religious Zionist party Otzma Yehudit as well as Likud party ministers David Amsalem and Amichai Chikli.
Since the full Cabinet meeting lasted until the beginning of Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest and spiritual renewal), the Haredi ministers left notes outlining their position in favor of the agreement.
"The Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the hostages’ release will come into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025," the office of the Israeli Prime Minister said in a statement.
The agreement is set to come into effect on Sunday, as the opponents of the decision have 24 hours after approval to file an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court. While the Israeli court will still consider appeals from Israelis who oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners, this process is not expected to prevent the ceasefire agreement from coming into effect on Sunday.
It is expected that three hostages being held in Gaza will be released on the first day. This will mark the first respite from the war for Palestinians in Gaza in over a year and will allow for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the enclave.
Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Cabinet that elected US President Donald Trump fully supports Israel resuming the war if Hamas violates the agreement before the start of the second phase. Furthermore, Trump will unfreeze weapons supplies, which, according to Netanyahu, were frozen by outgoing US President Joe Biden.
For more details on why Israel and Hamas reached an agreement, what its consequences will be, how long the ceasefire will last, and the role of Trump in this, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.
