Israeli security cabinet to discuss deal – DW – 01/17/2025

The ceasefire agreement was finalized after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US and was announced on Wednesday. According to its provisions, the six-week ceasefire should come into effect on Sunday.

The first phase will see the release of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Israel will also withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow Palestinians to return to the areas where they live.

Humanitarian aid corridors that are currently blocked will be opened to assist organizations entering the Gaza Strip.

However, no consensus has been reached on how to proceed after the first six-week phase. The two sides still have to negotiate terms for continuing the ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and additional exchanges of hostages and prisoners.

Hamas and other Islamist groups attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 more hostages. About 94 of them are believed to still be in the devastated Gaza Strip, although it is unclear how many remain alive after more than 15 months of war.

Local health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza say more than 46,700 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.

Israel’s far-right Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has threatened to resign from his cabinet post along with his party colleagues if the Israeli government approves a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

“The agreement that is taking shape is a reckless agreement,” he said in a televised statement. He said the release of hundreds of Palestinian militants and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from strategic areas of the Gaza Strip would “erase the achievements of the war” while leaving Hamas undefeated.

He described the agreement as “irresponsible” and called for a complete halt to humanitarian aid and water and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip until all Israeli hostages are released.

In addition to Ben-Gvir, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also opposed the deal, calling it a “dangerous deal”.

The Israeli Security Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to vote on the release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Netanyahu’s office said Friday morning that an “agreement to release the hostages” had been reached and he ordered the Security Cabinet to meet later in the day.

“The government will then hold a meeting to approve the deal,” the office said, without specifying whether the meeting would also take place on Friday.

The announcement came as Netanyahu said on Thursday that his Cabinet had postponed approval of the cease-fire agreement, accusing the Palestinians, militant group Hamas, of reneging on parts of the agreement to extract last-minute concessions. have put. Hamas denied the allegations and stressed its commitment to the agreement presented by mediators.

If approved, the first phase of the truce would see a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for several Palestinian prisoners. The aim of the subsequent stages is to see both sides agree on a permanent end to the war.

The US said it was confident that the truth would be implemented as planned on Sunday.

tg/rmt (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)