Israeli Cabinet Approves Ceasefire-Hostage Deal, Agreement To Take Effect Tomorrow

<p>Israel’s cabinet on Saturday approved the new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for its implementation from Sunday. The decision came after hours of discussions that continued late into the night.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Earlier the security cabinet had recommended ratifying the agreement saying it “supports the achievement of the objectives of the war,” according to the office of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The approval came hours after the prime minister’s office, and Hamas said they had finalised the details of the agreement two days after the deal was announced by mediators Qatar, the US, and Egypt, as reported by BBC.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While the majority of cabinet members gave their nod, two far-right ministers, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, voted against the deal. Both ministers threatened to pull their party’s support from the ruling coalition government and advocated further war against Hamas.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Palestine ‘Ready To Assume Full Responsibility’ In Gaza</h2>
<p>Following the ceasefire deal, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip saying Palestine is ready to assume full responsibility in Gaza.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Stressing Gaza as an integral part of Palestine, the President said in a statement: “The Presidency affirmed its firm position of the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in and full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The Presidency reiterated that it was necessary to establish an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and pave the way for the State of Palestine to assume full responsibility for the Gaza Strip as an integral part of the occupied territory.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>The statement further said that the Palestinian government has completed all preparations to assume full responsibility in Gaza.&nbsp;</p>
<p>”The government administrative and security personnel were fully prepared to carry out their tasks to alleviate the suffering inflicted on the Gaza population, allow displaced persons to return to their houses, restore essential services to the Strip, assume responsibility for the border crossings and help commence Gaza reconstruction,” it said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The President also urged the international community to offer “urgent humanitarian aid to enable the government to shoulder its responsibility towards the Palestinian people.”&nbsp;</p>