Israel's security Cabinet meets to vote on a ceasefire to pause the war
in Gaza and release hostages
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 [January 17, 2025]
By SAM MEDNICK and SAMY MAGDY
JERUSALEM, Israel (AP) — Israel’s security Cabinet convened Friday to
vote on a ceasefire deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
confirmed an agreement had been reached that would pause the 15-month
war with Hamas in Gaza and release dozens of hostages held by militants
there.
Mediators Qatar and the U.S. announced the ceasefire on Wednesday, but
the deal hung in limbo for more than a day as Netanyahu insisted there
were last-minute snags he blamed on Hamas.
The militants maintained they were “committed” to the deal, while
residents of Gaza 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 sign-off. Both bodies are expected to OK the ceasefire, which
could start as soon as Sunday, even though it has drawn fierce
resistance from Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners. Their
objections could destabilize his government, however.
Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack into
Israel that killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive.
Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has killed over
46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not
distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children
make up more than half of those killed.
Beyond the death and destruction in Gaza, the conflict has also
destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
On Thursday, Israeli strikes killing 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.
A three-phase deal
Netanyahu instructed a special task force to prepare to receive the
hostages returning from Gaza, and said that their families were informed
a deal had been reached. The prime minister’s office said that if the
deal passes, the ceasefire could start Sunday and the first hostages
could be freed then too.
Under the deal, 33 of some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza are set to be
released over six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians
imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas,
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what’s
left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian
assistance.
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An Israeli soldier sits on a tank at the border with Gaza in
southern Israel on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be
released in a second — and much more difficult — phase that will be
negotiated during the first.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a
lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has
vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain
open-ended security control over the territory.
Jaher Jabareen, head of Hamas’ office responsible for prisoners,
said on Friday that the names of those expected to be released from
Israeli jails will be published, but didn’t say when.
Longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will
rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
An Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed that the
last-minute issues were over the list of Palestinian prisoners to be
released from Israeli jails during the first phase of the deal, but
those have now been resolved. Both officials spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss the private negotiations. The Hamas official
said mediators showed the group 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, a
key link between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. An Israeli official who
also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations
confirmed a delegation was going to Cairo to discuss the crossing.
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 on Friday, writing on social media
platform X: “If the ‘deal’ passes, we will leave the government with
a heavy heart.”
Ben-Gvir’s resignation would not bring down the government or derail
the ceasefire deal, but the move would destabilize the government at
a delicate moment and could eventually lead to its collapse if Ben-Gvir
were joined by other key Netanyahu allies.
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Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt
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