Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza after more than 460 days of war during which Israeli forces killed more than 46,788 Palestinians and injured 110,453.
The Israeli government ratified the ceasefire agreement early Saturday morning after more than six hours of meetings, Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement.
“The Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the release of the hostages will come into force on Sunday,” the statement said.
While some hard-line members of the Israeli cabinet fiercely oppose the deal, media reports say 24 ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition government voted in favor of the deal while eight opposed it. Israel’s security cabinet voted in favor of the ceasefire agreement on Friday.
Under the terms of the agreement, the ceasefire begins with an initial six-week phase during which Gaza captives are released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and which paves the way for the end of ‘a war 15 months old.
After the cabinet ratified the ceasefire, Israeli authorities released an updated list of 737 Palestinian detainees expected to be released during the first phase of the agreement, which will take place on Sunday “not before” 4 p.m. local time (2 p.m. GMT). .
The list includes several members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement, who are serving life sentences, the Times of Israel reports.
“So the ceasefire continues,” said Tel Aviv Tribune correspondent Stefanie Dekker.
“Thirty-three Israeli captives were exchanged for approximately 1,700 Palestinian prisoners in 42 days. But although the Israeli government has ratified the ceasefire, right-wing elements in Netanyahu’s cabinet remain deeply opposed,” Dekker said.
Many people are “skeptical,” Dekker said, and wonder if the ceasefire “will even get past the first phase.”
The lead US negotiator in the ceasefire negotiations, Brett McGurk, said the White House expected the ceasefire to begin Sunday morning, with the release of three female captives in Israel by Sunday afternoon through the Red Cross.
“We have locked down every detail of this agreement. We are very confident… it is ready to be implemented on Sunday,” McGurk said in a television interview from the White House.
After the captives were released Sunday, McGurk said the agreement called for the release of four additional captives after seven days, followed by the release of three additional captives every seven days thereafter.
Despite the ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States, Israeli attacks on Gaza continued, killing nearly 120 people in the Palestinian enclave since then.
War-torn Gaza is also expected to see an increase in humanitarian aid. Trucks carrying aid lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza on Friday.
An Egyptian official said an Israeli delegation from the army and Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss the reopening of the Rafah crossing.
Israeli forces will also withdraw from many areas of Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes in the north of the territory.
The Israeli military said that as its forces gradually withdraw from specific locations and routes in Gaza, residents would not be allowed to return to areas where troops are present or near the border between Israel and Gaza.
The army also warned that any threats against Israeli forces would “result in a forceful response.”
While longer-term questions about post-war Gaza remain, including who will lead the territory and the daunting task of reconstruction, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced Friday that it was prepared to assume its “full responsibilities” in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency cited a Palestinian Authority statement in which the authority said its personnel were “fully prepared to carry out their duties and alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza.”
The PA statement also reiterated the position expressed by authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that the group has legal and political jurisdiction over the Gaza Strip, like the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, while the Palestinian Authority exercises partial civilian control over the occupied West Bank.
Israeli and Arab media also report that the Palestinian Authority has sent a delegation to Egypt to discuss the management of the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip as the ceasefire takes effect, with a view to allowing the authority to take charge of the management of this key border point.
