Tel Aviv [Israel], January 17 (ANI): The Israeli security cabinet approved the hostage release-ceasefire deal with Hamas and recommended the government to adopt it, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.
The full cabinet convened minutes before the start of Shabbat for a discussion and vote, with the meeting extending into the Jewish day of rest, Times of Israel reported.
The full cabinet is expected to approve it by a large majority, following a meeting that extended into Shabbat. The full cabinet is expected to vote by a large majority to approve the deal, which was signed overnight in Qatar and is set to take effect on Sunday.
The recommendation by the forum of top ministers was made “after examining all diplomatic, security and humanitarian” aspects of the agreement, with the understanding that the deal “supports the achievement of the war’s goals,” the PMO said.
The deal is set to take effect on Sunday at 12:15 pm, with the first three female hostages expected to be freed by 4 pm that day.
Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voted against the deal at the security cabinet but were in the minority.
“Following an evaluation of all diplomatic, security and humanitarian aspects, and while understanding that the proposed deal supports the achievement of the objectives of the war, the Security Cabinet has recommended that the Government approve the proposed framework,” the Israel PM Office stated in a post on X.
Following an evaluation of all diplomatic, security and humanitarian aspects, and while understanding that the proposed deal supports the achievement of the objectives of the war, the Security Cabinet has recommended that the Government approve the proposed framework.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 17, 2025
Before the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated in a security assessment to discuss the deal’s implementation with the negotiating team. The full cabinet meeting was scheduled for 3:30 pm on Friday, moved up due to Shabbat considerations, with ministers stressing the urgency of a life-saving matter.
The Israel government’s hostages and missing persons coordination unit on Friday notified the families of the 33 Israeli hostages expected to be set free in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Israel has not been told how many of the 33 are alive, though it expects the majority are. Israel will receive a full status report on all those on the list seven days into the ceasefire. The order of release is not yet known. The identities of those set to return are expected to be provided 24 hours before each release, as reported by Times of Israel.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad chief David Barnea, who returned from Qatar, reportedly urged ministers to approve the deal quickly, warning that any delay risked endangering the hostages.
Netanyahu reportedly told ministers that Israel has “received ‘definitive guarantees’ from both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, that “if the negotiations on phase two of the deal fail, and Hamas does not accept our security demands, we will resume intensive fighting with the backing of the United States.'”
After far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to leave the coalition over the deal, Netanyahu’s Likud party made a statement on Thursday night, asserting key points.
“Contrary to Ben Gvir’s comments, the existing deal allows Israel to return to fighting under American guarantees, receive the weapons and means of warfare it needs, maximise the number of living hostages that will be released, maintain full control of the Philadelphi Route [on the Egyptian border] and the security buffer that surrounds the entire Gaza Strip, and achieve dramatic security achievements that will ensure Israel’s security for generations,” Likud said.
Beyond the 33 hostages set for release in phase one, Israel says 65 more hostages are currently held in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 36 confirmed dead by the IDF. As the first phase progresses, talks will focus on the release of remaining hostages, ending the war, and Gaza’s future reconstruction.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies have pressured him not to agree to end the fighting, with families of the remaining 65 hostages fearing the second phase may never happen, and their loved ones could remain in terrorists’ hands.
Ahead of the cabinet meeting, Ben Gvir issued a last-minute plea for ministers to vote against the deal. “Everyone knows that these terrorists will try to harm again, try to kill again,” he said. “I call on my friends in Likud and in Religious Zionism, it is not yet too late, we still have the cabinet meeting, we can stop this deal, join me, we can stop it.”
On Thursday night, Ben Gvir said his Otzma Yehudit party would quit the government if the deal is approved. However, he added, “If the IDF resumes fighting Hamas after a pause to free hostages, my party will offer to return.”
Any opposition from Netanyahu’s far-right allies is not expected to affect the cabinet votes, according to Times of Israel.
Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams signed the deal in Doha early Friday after clearing the final hurdles. Both the US and Qatar, who mediated the negotiations, announced on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached to end the 15-month war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Hamas launched a horrific terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1200 civilians and holding over 250 as hostages, of which around 100 are still in captivity.
In response, Israel launched a massive counter-attack targeting Hamas units in the Gaza Strip. The reponse, however, has also drawn criticism from several humanitarian groups over the high number of civilian killings. According to the Gaza health ministry, over 45,000 people have been killed in Gaza, over half of whom are women and children. (ANI)
