Israel‘s Security Cabinet on Friday approved the deal with Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, according to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The decision had been expected despite the resistance of some far-right ministers.
The deal now goes to Netanyahu’s coalition government for the final sign-off, which would pave the way for the agreement to go into effect on Sunday.
Netanyahu said the agreement would help reach the goverment’s war goals, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Specifically, the ceasefire is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 1015 GMT.
Netanyahu’s office announced that it could go ahead as planned, subject to the approval of the government.
The first hostages are expected to be released on Sunday. According to the Israeli media, this could happen at 4 pm (1400 GMT).
The three-phase deal calls for an initial six-week pause in the fighting that has devastated the Gaza Strip over the past 15 months and, according to the enclave’s health authority, killed more than 46,000 people in the Palestinian territory.
During this first phase, Hamas is to release 33 hostages held by resistance movement in Gaza and Israel is to release Palestinian prisoners held in its jails.
The deal was reached after months of indirect negotiations involving the mediation of Qatar and the United States.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed out of the coastal territory and killed some 1,200 people in southern Israeli communities.