Israel’s security cabinet convenes to approve deal to release hostages and pause the 15-month war

JERUSALEM, Israel (AP) — Israel’s security cabinet convened Friday to decide whether to approve a deal that would release dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza and pause the 15-month-war.

If the cabinet approves, the deal will then go to the government for final sign-off before the ceasefire goes into effect.

U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced the deal on Wednesday, which is aimed at releasing scores of hostages held in Gaza and winding down the war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Friday’s meeting comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier there were last minute snags in finalizing the agreement. Israel had delayed a security cabinet vote Thursday, blaming the dispute with Hamas for holding up approval. However, a pre-dawn statement appeared to clear the way for the deal to be voted on by the security cabinet.

Netanyahu said he had instructed a special task force to prepare to receive the hostages returning from Gaza, and that their families were informed the deal had been reached. The Prime Minister’s office said that if a deal is passed, the ceasefire could start Sunday with the first hostages released.

Under the deal, 33 of some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.

The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second — and much more difficult — phase that will be negotiated during the first.

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.

Longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.

The agreement has drawn fierce resistance from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, which the Israeli prime minister depends on to remain in power. On Thursday, Israel’s hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to quit the government if Israel approved the ceasefire. On Friday, Ben-Gvir wrote on X “if the ‘deal’ passes, we will leave the government with a heavy heart”.

Ben-Gvir’s resignation would not bring down the government or derail the ceasefire deal, but the move would destabilize the government at a delicate moment and could lead to its collapse if Ben-Gvir were joined by other key Netanyahu allies.

Meanwhile, the fighting continues in Gaza, with Israeli strikes killing at least 72 people on Thursday. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.

Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.

Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.

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