The Israeli cabinet is set to convene for the final approval of a ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which includes the release of hostages, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli warplanes continued their intense bombardments, resulting in reports from Palestinian authorities that at least 86 individuals lost their lives following the announcement of the truce.
Amid visible divisions among ministers, Israel postponed meetings that were anticipated for a cabinet vote on the agreement, attributing the delay to Hamas’s actions.
However, in the early hours of the morning, Netanyahu’s office indicated that approval was forthcoming.
The security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday before the entire cabinet convenes later to endorse the deal, as per the announcement.
It remains unclear if the full cabinet will meet today or tomorrow, or whether there could be a delay in the initiation of the ceasefire set for Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of making last-minute demands (File image).
According to White House spokesperson John Kirby, the Biden administration believes that the agreement is proceeding as planned, with a ceasefire in the ongoing 15-month conflict expected to take effect “as soon as late this weekend.”
“We see no indications at this point that suggest the negotiations will be derailed,” he stated during a CNN interview.
A representative group for families of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, 33 of whom are slated for release in the initial six-week phase of the agreement, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the process.
“For the 98 hostages, every night brings another horrifying nightmare. Do not postpone their return for even one more night,” the group’s statement, which was reported by Israeli media, emphasized.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously mentioned that a “loose end” in negotiations required resolution.
An anonymous US official revealed that this pertained to a disagreement regarding the identities of certain prisoners that Hamas wanted released. Envoys from both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump were in Doha, collaborating with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to resolve the issue.
Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq reassured that the group is committed to the ceasefire agreement.
Inside Gaza, the initial joy over the truce quickly turned to grief and anger due to the renewed bombardment that followed the ceasefire announcement on Wednesday.
Tamer Abu Shaaban’s voice trembled as he stood over the small body of his young niece, wrapped in a white shroud at a morgue in Gaza City. She was struck in the back by missile shrapnel while playing in the yard of a school where the family was seeking shelter, he recounted.
“Is this the truce they are talking about? What wrong did this innocent child do to deserve this?” he lamented.
Vote anticipated
The official approval of Israel’s acceptance of the deal will depend on the green light from both the security cabinet and the broader government. The prime minister’s office has not disclosed a timeline for this process.
Some political analysts speculated that if Israel doesn’t finalize approval until tomorrow, the commencement of the ceasefire, scheduled for Sunday, might be postponed.
Hardliner factions within Netanyahu’s government, who argue that the war has not accomplished its goal of eliminating Hamas, had hoped to obstruct the agreement.
Nonetheless, a majority of ministers are expected to support the deal.
In Jerusalem, some Israelis took to the streets carrying mock coffins in protest of the ceasefire, blocking roads and engaging in scuffles with law enforcement. Other demonstrators disrupted traffic until security forces intervened.
Israel’s bombing campaign has resulted in extensive destruction throughout Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement was reached after mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. The deal includes a six-week initial ceasefire alongside the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces. In exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, Hamas would release dozens of hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and the sick.
This agreement also aims to facilitate a surge in humanitarian aid for Gaza, where most of the populace has been displaced and are grappling with hunger, illness, and cold temperatures.
Israel’s military campaign began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli border communities on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 soldiers and civilians while abducting over 250 hostages, as reported by Israeli sources.
If executed successfully, the ceasefire could bring an end to the conflict that has devastated much of densely populated Gaza, claiming over 46,000 lives and displacing the majority of its pre-war population of 2.3 million, according to authorities in Gaza.
‘Permanent resolution’
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, who announced the agreement on Wednesday, indicated that an initial 42-day ceasefire would lead to the release of 33 hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and ill civilians.
Furthermore, as part of the initial phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas in Gaza, allowing displaced Palestinians to return “to their homes,” he stated.
Read more: US says Gaza ceasefire to start on time despite ‘loose end’ Timeline – Major moments in the Israel-Hamas war
Mr. Biden expressed that the second phase of the agreement could lead to a “permanent end to the war.”
He added that the deal would facilitate a much-needed influx of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and reunite hostages with their families.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi emphasized the “importance of hastening the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza.
Cairo has expressed its willingness to host an international conference on Gaza’s reconstruction, where the United Nations has stated that rebuilding the civilian infrastructure will take more than a decade.
The World Health Organization’s representative for the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, noted that it could require at least $10 billion (€9.7 billion) over the next five to seven years to restore Gaza’s damaged healthcare system.
The UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, which is facing an impending Israeli ban on its operations later this month, welcomed the ceasefire agreement.
“What is required is rapid, unhindered, and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to alleviate the immense suffering caused by this conflict,” wrote UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini on X.
