Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire deal after 15 months of war

17 Jan 2025, 23:33 by Andrew Walsh, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/andrew-walsh/ · TheJournal.ie

LAST UPDATE | 7 hrs ago

THE ISRAELI CABINET has approved a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal following lengthy talks that continued into the early hours of the morning in Jerusalem.

A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, posted on X this evening, says the cabinet voted to approve the deal which will begin on Sunday, 19 January.

“The government approved the outline for the return of the kidnapped,” the statement said. “The outline for the release of hostages will go into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025.”

The Israeli security cabinet earlier recommended the wider government give its final green light to the agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“After reviewing all the political, security and humanitarian aspects, and understanding that the proposed deal supports achieving the objectives of the war, (the security cabinet) has recommended that the government approve the proposed framework,” the office said in a statement.

It is a major turning point in Gaza’s deadliest-ever war.

The agreement, which had been announced earlier this week by mediators Qatar, the United States, and Egypt, proposes a pause in fighting in Gaza, and will lead to the phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire agreement will take effect on Sunday, and will involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war will be finalised.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel’s security cabinet to meet this morning to come to an agreement on the deal. At least two far-right cabinet members had voiced opposition to the deal this week.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on political allies to vote against the Gaza deal, stating it would see the release of several Palestinian militants “serving life sentences” for killing Israelis.

Israel’s security cabinet functions as an expert group within the parliamentary cabinet and consists of several of the country’s most senior government members who oversee the conduct of the war in Gaza.

It is headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and has the purpose of formulating defence policy, coordinating diplomatic negotiations and making quick decisions in times of crisis.

Deal terms

Announcing the agreement on Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said an initial six-week ceasefire would see 33 hostages released, including women, “children, elderly people, as well as civilian ill people and wounded”.

Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return “to their residences”, he said.

The deal would see Israel free between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in return for the release of the hostages, as well as a surge of much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Biden said the second phase of the agreement could bring a “permanent end to the war”.

He added the deal would “surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families”.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also underscored the “importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza.

Cairo said it was ready to host an international conference on reconstruction in Gaza, where the United Nations has said it would take more than a decade to rebuild civilian infrastructure.

Hostage release

The Israeli justice ministry has published a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners who are to be freed from Sunday as part of the first exchange for Israeli captives under the ceasefire deal.