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of Israel security Cabinet convened Friday to vote on a ceasefire deal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an agreement had been reached that would break the 15-month conflict with Hamas in Gaza and released dozens of hostages held there by militants.
Mediators Qatar and the US announced the ceasefire on Wednesday, but the deal hung in limbo for more than a day as Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute snacks he blamed on Hamas.
The militants claimed they were “committed” to the deal, while Gaza residents and families of the hostages anxiously waited to see if it would materialize.
If the cabinet approves it, the deal will then go to the government for final signature. Both bodies are expected to OK the ceasefire, which could start as early as Sunday, even though it has drawn fierce opposition from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners. However, their objections could destabilize his government.
Hamas started the conflict with its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack in Israel that killed about 1,200 people and imprisoned about 250 others.
Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants, but say women and children are more than half of those killed.
Beyond the death and destruction in Gaza, the conflict has also destabilized the Middle East and sparked global protests.
On Thursday, Israeli attacks killed at least 72 people in Gaza. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.
Netanyahu instructed a special task force to prepare to receive the hostages returning from Gaza, and said their families were being notified that a deal had been reached. The prime minister’s office said that if the agreement goes through, the ceasefire could begin on Sunday and the first hostages could then be freed.
Under the agreement, 33 of about 100 hostages remaining in Gaza will be released in six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held captive by Israel. Israeli forces will withdraw from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what is left of their homes, and there would be an increase in humanitarian assistance.
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The rest of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second – and much more difficult – phase which will be negotiated in the first.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining prisoners without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to fight on until it dismantles the group and maintains open-ended security control over the territory.
Jaher Jabareen, head of Hamas office responsible for prisoners, said Friday that the names of those expected to be released from Israeli prisons would be published, but did not say when.
Longer-term questions about post-conflict Gaza remain, including who will govern the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
An Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed that there were last-minute problems over the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli jails in the first phase of the deal, but they have now been resolved. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private negotiations. The Hamas official said mediators showed Israel’s approval.
The Egyptian official added that an Israeli delegation from the military and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing, an important link between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. An Israeli official who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations confirmed that a delegation went to Cairo to discuss the transition.
Objections to the deal in Israel
On Thursday, Israel’s hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to quit the government if Israel approved the ceasefire. He reiterated that Friday, writing on social media platform X: “If the ‘deal’ goes through, we will leave the government with a heavy heart.”
Ben-Gvir’s resignation would not bring down the government or scrap the cease-fire agreement, but the move would destabilize the government at a delicate moment and could ultimately lead to its collapse if Ben-Gvir was joined by other key Netanyahu allies.
Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt
& copy 2025 The Canadian Press
