Israel’s Security Cabinet Recommends Ceasefire And Hostage Release Deal In Gaza, Full Approval Awaited

<p>The security cabinet of Israel on Friday recommended approval of a ceasefire and hostage return deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an agreement had been reached to pause the 15-month war with Hamas in Gaza and release hostages held by militants.</p>
<p>This comes ahead of the cabinet meeting to give final approval to the agreement which is expected to take effect on Sunday, starting with release of first hostages. If the ceasefire is reached successfully, the war between Hamas and Israel would end after 15 months. This deadly conflict has killed over 46,000 people and left thousands of people displaced.</p>
<p>The ceasefire deal would also ease the hostilities in the Middle East, where the war spread quickly and included even Iran, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iraq’s armed groups as well as those in the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, Qatar and the US announced the ceasefire, but the deal has been hung since then after Netanyahu insisted there were some last-minute things left, blaming it on Hamas, Associated Press reported.</p>
<p>The ceasefire deal will be presented in the full Cabinet of ministers for a final sign-off and once it is signed, the ceasefire could start as soon as January 19.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes kept up with heavy airstrikes in Gaza on Friday, and the Civil Emergency Service stated that at least 101 Palestinians, including children, were killed since the deal was announced, Reuters reported.</p>
<p>In the first phase of the three-stage deal, Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli hostages, which includes all women, children, and more than 50 men. Israel, in return, will release all Palestinian women and children under 19, who had been detained in Israeli jails.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Hamas said on Friday that the snags arose in relation to the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement were resolved. But, the acceptance of deal from Israel’s side will not be considered official until the security cabinet and government of the country approves it.</p>
<p>Earlier today, Netanyahu’s office stated that the security cabinet would meet to give a final nod to the ceasefire deal amid concerns of delays. Netanyahu has also instructed a special task force to prepare for receiving the hostages who will be returning from Gaza. The Israel PM’s office also said that the families of the hostages were informed that a deal had been reached, AP reported.</p>
<p>The war was triggered after Hamas attacked Israel in a cross-border attack on October 7, killing 1,200 people and leaving 250 others captive. Following this, Israel launched offensives that reportedly killed over 46,000 Palestinians.&nbsp;</p>