Israeli security cabinet recommends Gaza ceasefire deal

Cabinet is expected to meet later on Friday to give final approval to the deal, which Netanyahu said is expected to take effect on Sunday

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Israeli soldiers stand on a tank, as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:37am, 17 Jan 2025Updated: 10:08pm, 17 Jan 2025

The Israeli security cabinet has recommended approving the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, ahead of a full cabinet meeting expected later on Friday, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

Cabinet is expected to meet at 3.30pm to give final ratification to the agreement, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said is expected to take effect on Sunday, with the release of the first hostages.

If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanised Gaza, killed over 46,000 people, and displaced most of the tiny enclave’s pre-war population of 2.3 million several times over, according to local authorities.

It could also ease hostilities in the Middle East, where the Gaza war spread to include Iran and its proxies; Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq.

Under the six-week first phase of the three-stage deal, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children, and men over 50.

Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained in Israeli jails by the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on hostages released, and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinians, including men, women and children.