Israel’s government and security cabinet approve Gaza deal

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Lerato Khumalo

Middle East

Israel’s government and security cabinet approve Gaza deal

Updated on January 18, 2025 – 12:40 a.mReading time: 3 minutes

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The Security Cabinet and the entire Israeli government voted in favor of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. (Source: Kobi Gideon/XinHua/dpa/dpa-bilder)

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According to the government decision, opponents of the agreement with Hamas can still appeal to the Supreme Court in Israel. Time is running out: the ceasefire in Gaza is scheduled to begin on Sunday.

A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of more hostages held by the Islamist Hamas are getting closer. After Israel’s security cabinet, the Israeli government also voted for the agreement with Hamas after an hour-long meeting, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Saturday night. The agreement on the release of the hostages will therefore come into force on Sunday. Despite opposition to the deal from some far-right politicians, a majority was expected to support the agreement.

The government meeting began later than planned and took place during the Jewish day of rest Shabbat, which began late Friday afternoon. According to Israeli media reports, several ultra-Orthodox ministers left the meetings early because of the start of Shabbat. However, they had instructed secretaries to count them among the supporters of the agreement.

After the government decision, opponents of the agreement can lodge an objection with the Supreme Court within a short period of time. However, it is expected that the judges will not provide any reason for the court to intervene against the agreement.

The ceasefire agreement is scheduled to come into force in the Gaza Strip on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. CET) and will initially apply for 42 days. During this time, 33 of the 98 remaining hostages held by Hamas are expected to be released. In return, according to Israeli sources, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli prisons.

In addition, the important Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is to be reopened and humanitarian aid for the Palestinians is to be significantly increased. It is also planned that Israel’s military will withdraw from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip. The residents who fled to the south of the coastal strip should be allowed to move freely in Gaza again and return to their residential areas in the north under international supervision.

The conflicting parties want to clarify the details of the second and third phases of the agreement during the first phase. Among other things, there is disagreement over the question of who should govern the Gaza Strip in the future.

If the agreement fails, fighting could break out again in the largely destroyed Palestinian territory.

Israel’s President Izchak Herzog called on his country’s security cabinet and government to approve the agreement with Hamas. He praised the approval by the Security Cabinet and said shortly after the decision: “With all my heart I hug the families of the hostages, especially those who know that their loved ones will not return in the first phase.”

Shortly before the meeting, Israel’s right-wing extremist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appealed to other members of the coalition to vote against the agreement, according to Israeli media. He had also previously threatened to leave the coalition if the deal was approved.

After the security cabinet meeting, Israel’s Justice Ministry released a list of the names of more than 90 Palestinian prisoners, many of them women, who are expected to be released initially under the deal. According to information from the news site “ynet”, there is one person who was convicted of murder.

Hamas is expected to release the first three hostages on Sunday. The terrorist organization will reportedly announce who it is on Saturday. It is assumed that there are three civilians.

Initially, reports said that the Netanyahu government would not meet until Saturday evening, after the end of Shabbat. Relatives of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip criticized this because they feared a delay in the start of the ceasefire and thus the release of the abductees.