After months of intense fighting, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The agreement, which will see the exchange of hostages for prisoners, is expected to bring an end to the 15-month-old war in Gaza. However, the deal faces opposition from hard-liners within Israel's government.
On Saturday, Israel 's cabinet approved a ceasefire agreement and hostage release deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas , marking a potential end to the 15-month-old war in the Gaza Strip. The agreement, ratified after a six-hour meeting, is scheduled to commence at 0630 GMT on Sunday. The deal, brokered with US involvement, involves a three-stage ceasefire. The initial six-week phase will see the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Israel i prisoners and detainees.
Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages, including women, children, elderly men, and those in ill or wounded states, are to be released during this period. In return, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinians from its jails. This includes 737 male, female, and teenage prisoners, some convicted of attacks that killed dozens of Israelis, and hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza detained since the war began. Details of the prisoners were published by the Israeli Justice Ministry alongside the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates a 30-Palestinian-prisoner release for each female hostage on Sunday.Following Sunday's initial release, the agreement outlines the release of four more female hostages after seven days, followed by three additional hostages every seven days thereafter. The agreement has faced opposition from hard-line members of Netanyahu's coalition government, who view it as a capitulation to Hamas. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to resign if the deal passed but stated he would not bring down the government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also voiced his opposition, threatening to quit if the government does not return to war after the six-week ceasefire phase. The Israeli cabinet's vote for the agreement followed a security cabinet approval on Friday, a necessary step before the full cabinet vote. The vote came after a last-minute delay on Thursday that Israel blamed on Hamas. The war, sparked by Hamas fighters' incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, has resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis, with 250 taken hostage. The conflict has devastated much of the Gaza Strip, killing over 46,000 Palestinians and displacing most of its pre-war population of 2.3 million. The ceasefire, if successful, could ease tensions across the Middle East, where the fighting has escalated to involve Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and armed groups in Iraq, as well as the occupied West Bank. The agreement calls for a surge in humanitarian aid to Gaza, where civilians have faced a dire situation due to hunger, cold, and illness. International organizations have aid trucks ready on Gaza's borders to deliver food, fuel, medicine, and other essential supplies. UNRWA reported having 4,000 truckloads of aid, half of which is food, prepared to enter the coastal strip
Ceasefire Gaza Hamas Israel Hostage Release Middle East Conflict
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