Summary
- Ceasefire due to start 24 hours after Israeli ratification
- Hostages could be released 72 hours later
- Israelis gather at ‘Hostage Square’ in anticipation of official start
- Trump expresses hope for ‘everlasting peace’ and is invited to speak to Knesset
Tel Aviv / Gaza City – Israel’s government has ratified a landmark ceasefire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, paving the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and secure the release of Israeli hostages within the next three days.
The Israeli cabinet approved the agreement early Friday morning, roughly a day after mediators announced a breakthrough deal involving the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The move marks the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the two-year war in Gaza.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on his official X account.
The Gaza war, now entering its third year, has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead and devastated the enclave, deepening Israel’s international isolation and straining its relations with Washington. The conflict, which began after Hamas-led militants launched a deadly assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has since expanded into a wider regional confrontation involving Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon.
Under the new accord, fighting will cease, Israeli forces will partially withdraw from Gaza, and Hamas will release all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Aid convoys carrying food, medicine, and other essentials will also surge into Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians have been living in tents amid widespread destruction.
Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said the group had received “guarantees from the United States and other mediators that the war is over.”
According to Israeli officials, the ceasefire will come into force within 24 hours of government approval. Hostages held in Gaza — 20 believed alive and 26 presumed dead — are expected to be released within 72 hours after the truce begins.
A senior Hamas source said retrieving the remains of deceased captives could take longer than freeing those alive, while negotiations continue over the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
The deal has faced pushback from far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would vote against the agreement and threaten to topple the government if Hamas is not dismantled. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed that stance, insisting Hamas “must be destroyed once the hostages are returned.”
Despite the political friction, the Israeli public reaction has been one of relief and celebration.
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where families have long gathered to demand action, Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan remains captive, was overcome with emotion.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, as crowds lit red flares in celebration.
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, residents expressed cautious joy.
“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo. “All of Gaza, all the Arab people, all the world is happy with the end of bloodshed.”
President Donald Trump announced plans to travel to the region on Sunday for a possible signing ceremony in Egypt, while Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana invited him to address parliament — which would mark the first such speech by a U.S. president since 2008.
Trump hailed the ceasefire as “a step toward an everlasting peace” and a major milestone in his 20-point Middle East peace plan. His special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner attended the Israeli cabinet meeting that ratified the deal.
In Paris, Western and Arab countries met to discuss a proposed international peacekeeping force and reconstruction efforts for Gaza once the ceasefire takes effect.
If fully implemented, the accord would mark the most significant diplomatic achievement since the war began — offering a glimmer of hope for both Israelis and Palestinians after two years of unimaginable loss.
About The Author
