Israel’s war cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has approved a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. This information was confirmed in a statement by the Prime Minister’s office early Saturday morning.
The statement said, “The Israeli government has approved the plan for hostage return. This plan will take effect starting tomorrow, Sunday.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ministry of Justice announced in a separate statement that on the first day of the ceasefire, Sunday, 95 Palestinian prisoners will be released from various Israeli prisons. Among them are 69 women, 16 men, and 10 minors. The Ministry of Justice has also published the names of these 95 individuals awaiting release.
On Wednesday, during a press conference in Doha, Qatar’s capital, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced that a consensus has been reached regarding a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Hamas, the political group controlling the region, and Israel’s war cabinet.
Although the agreement was scheduled for approval and a parliamentary vote on Thursday, Netanyahu stated that his cabinet would not hold a vote in parliament on the ceasefire agreement until Hamas agreed to all terms. Israel accused Hamas of attempting to introduce new conditions at the last moment.
However, Hamas firmly rejected this accusation. Senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq stated in a message, “Hamas is committed to signing and implementing the ceasefire agreement proposed by the mediators.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and its allied group, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory by breaking through the border fence. The attack killed 1,200 Israeli military personnel and civilians. Additionally, 250 individuals were taken hostage and brought to Gaza by the fighters.
In retaliation, Israel launched a series of attacks on Gaza the same day, which continue to this day. So far, Israeli attacks have killed over 46,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children. The number of injured is countless. Furthermore, 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced by the attacks, amounting to approximately 90% of the region’s total population.