Israel prepares to approve deal and receive hostages

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirms the truce agreement in Gaza and announces that Israeli ministers will meet this Friday to approve it. The families of the hostages were informed.

Israel’s security cabinet is due to meet on Friday after finalizing the final details of an agreement for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, with Washington saying it was “confident” about a start to the ceasefire on Sunday.

The truce, announced Wednesday by Qatar and the United States, must take effect on Sunday if it is voted on by the Israeli government. In a first phase of six weeks, it provides for the release of 33 hostages held in the Palestinian territory, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The definitive end of the war will be negotiated during this first phase. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the negotiating team that agreements have been reached for the release of the hostages,” his office said in a statement.

“The prime minister has ordered the political and security cabinet to meet tomorrow (Friday). The government will then meet to approve the deal,” Netanyahu’s office said.

He added that the families of the hostages had been informed and preparations were being made to welcome them.

“Definitive end of hostilities”

The leaders of the G7 countries called the agreement “important news” and called on Hamas and Israel to “guarantee its full implementation and the definitive end of hostilities,” in a statement.

The Israeli prime minister is assured of obtaining a majority despite opposition from far-right ministers. One of them, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, said Thursday that he would resign if the government adopted the “irresponsible” truce agreement with Hamas, without leaving the coalition around Netanyahu.

Israel said Thursday that Hamas had gone back “on certain points” of the agreement to “extort last minute concessions.” But a senior Hamas leader, Sami Abou Zouhri, rejected the accusations.

The Islamist movement also warned that “any aggression, any bombing” by Israel on Gaza put the hostages in danger. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, however, said he was “confident” about the entry into force of the agreement.

“I expect implementation to begin, as we said, on Sunday,” he said at a farewell news conference in Washington. Egypt, which participated in mediation efforts with Qatar and the United States, called for the agreement to be implemented “without delay”.

More information on the situation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza

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