Israel’s Security Cabinet and government are scheduled to convene on Thursday to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement after the deal was reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday.
The Security Cabinet will convene at 11:00 am local time with the government expected to be gathered afterward, an Israeli government official said.
The deal is expected to have a majority in both the Security Cabinet and the government, despite two key parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have voiced opposition to the agreement, Xinhua news agency reported.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday urged the government to approve the ceasefire deal. “It is the right, important, and necessary move,” Herzog said in a broadcast statement.
A completed deal would see the war in Gaza stop and an exchange of hostages and prisoners. Hamas seized 251 hostages when it attacked Israel in October 2023. It is still holding 94 captive, although Israel believes that only 60 are still alive. Israel is expected to release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, some jailed for years, in return for the hostages.
Over a year after the Gaza war broke out and went on to cause chaos and devastation while rattling the Middle East, a landmark agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, with both sides reportedly agreeing to cease hostilities and exchange Israeli hostages for prisoners from Palestine.
US President Joe Biden confirmed the crucial development on Wednesday at a briefing, saying “it is a very good afternoon now”. He said: “Soon, the hostages will return home to their families.”
The peace deal involves a full and complete ceasefire along with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all the hostages held by Hamas. Biden said that Israel would release Palestinian prisoners in return.
Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump claimed credit for the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which was announced just days before his return to power.
Trump, in a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, expressed his excitement and claimed credit for the agreement, asserting that the deal would not have been possible without his administration’s leadership.
“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!” Trump wrote, even before the official announcement from the White House under outgoing President Joe Biden.
In a follow-up post, Trump stated, “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November,” referencing his triumph in the 2024 elections. Trump emphasised his administration’s focus on peace negotiations and how it had left a lasting impact on the region.
Trump extended his gratitude to Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East, who played a pivotal role in facilitating the agreement, working closely with Biden’s negotiators. He added that the US would continue to support Israel and its allies in preventing Gaza from becoming a haven for terrorism again. “We will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza never again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” Trump wrote.
The agreement marks a significant shift in the conflict’s dynamics. While the Biden administration had been engaged in talks for months, Trump’s influence and his administration’s groundwork, including the Abraham Accords, appear to have paved the way for this breakthrough. Trump suggested that Iran could one day join the Abraham Accords, hinting at further potential normalisation agreements in the region.
