Israel govt approves ceasefire deal with Hamas to free hostages, end Gaza conflict

Israel govt approves ceasefire deal with Hamas to free hostages, end Gaza conflict

Israel govt approves ceasefire deal with Hamas to free hostages, end Gaza conflict ByHT News Desk Jan 18, 2025 05:39 AM IST Share Via Copy Link The Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal was mediated by Qatar and US on Wed, however, was in limbo for more than a day as Netanyahu said there were last-minute snags.

In a significant move towards toward the 15-month-long war in Gaza, Israel's government on Saturday approved the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which will go into effect on Sunday, January 19 and includes a series of hostage exchanges.

This handout picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2-R), heading a security cabinet meeting to vote on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that should take effect ton January 19, in Jerusalem on January 17, 2025. (AFP)

After more than six hours of deliberations on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that the Israeli cabinet green signalled the agreement which calls for a six-week ceasefire, a key component of a three-phase plan aimed at releasing hostages and prisoners.

Despite strong opposition from some hardline ministers, who voted against the deal, 24 of Netanyahu’s cabinet members supported the ceasefire.

The Israeli security cabinet had on Friday already approved the agreement, which requires two rounds of approval.

The ceasefire deal will see Hamas release 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, and men over the age of 50. In exchange, Israel will free all Palestinian women and children under the age of 19 who are currently detained in Israeli prisons.

The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has reduced a large part of the region to rubble, has claimed over 46,000 lives, displaced millions and has drawn in various Middle Eastern factions, including Iran, Hezbollah, and armed groups from Yemen and Iraq.

Despite continued Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, the ceasefire deal raises hopes for a reduction in hostilities.

This agreement, reached by Hamas and Israel on Wednesday, was mediated by Qatar and the US, however, it was in limbo for more than a day as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute complications that he blamed on the Hamas militant group, which rejected the allegations.

The war in the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict broke out after Hamas on October 7, 2023, carried out a cross-border attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.