Israel's security cabinet voted Friday afternoon to recommend the government approve the outline for the hostage deal after "understanding that the proposed deal supports the achievement of the objectives of the war," the prime minister's office announced.
The cabinet also added that a goal to the war following the hostage deal would "strengthening security in the West Bank," Israeli media reported. The government meeting to approve the hostage deal opened almost three hours late due to a discussion on West Bank security.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against the deal. Likud MKs Dudi Amsalem and Amit Halevi also expressed their opposition.
"This is a disastrous decision," Halevi said, according to Maariv. "For the many who will be kidnapped in the future, the hundreds and thousands of dead and injured who will be affected by it, for all citizens of Israel, and for the political and security situation of the State of Israel for many years to come."
The government meeting on approving the deal's outline is expected to extend into Shabbat, after haredi MKs announced that they are willing to be at the meeting during Shabbat, Maariv reported.
Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman said, "The deal that is emerging is dangerous for Israel. It certainly does not look like victory."
The first few hostages set to be released as a result of the deal will reportedly be released on Sunday.
Ben-Gvir's plan to leave the government
Earlier, Ben-Gvir posted on X/Twitter, "If the 'deal' passes, we will leave the government with a heavy heart and I will leave an office in which I have invested all my strength for the past two years."
"I will make sure that Netanyahu continues to be prime minister, but I will leave because the deal that was signed is disastrous," he continued.
"It releases hundreds of terrorists with blood on their hands, who, upon their release, will seek to murder the next Jew. It allows the return of thousands of terrorists to northern Gaza with weapons - when their goal is to murder Jews. it harms Israel's defense capabilities on the Philadelphi Corridor and undoes all the successes we've achieved in the war that cost us a lot of blood."
Other reactions by Israeli officials
Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli (Shas) was quoted by Maariv saying, "Anyone who saves one Israeli soul, saves an entire world." Health Minister Uriel Busso (Shas) agreed to the deal on a piece of paper, and said in a post on X/Twitter, "There's no greater mitzvah than saving hostages."
"ואין לך מצוה גדולה כמו פדיון שבויים"שבת שלום pic.twitter.com/GUIhYlyuml
— Uriel Busso-אוריאל בוסו (@BussoUriel) January 17, 2025
Busso was among other haredi MKs who could not attend the meeting due to the start of Shabbat, and left handwritten notes in advance expressing their agreement with the outline of the deal.
Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf said that "Whoever saves one soul from Israel is as if they saved an entire world. I support the deal to release the hostages that is coming to the government today under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel added his own note, writing: "After the cabinet's decision in favor of a hostage deal was brought to my attention, I would like to express my position in favor of this decision. And you have no greater mitzvah than bringing them home."
Ynet quoted Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar explaining why he voted in favor of the deal, saying "any deal with a terrorist organization is bad and difficult. During the negotiations, mistakes were made and I was critical of the way it was managed.
"However, at this point in time, this decision must be made, first and foremost to save Jews and Israelis. This is the essence of the role of the State of Israel," adding that "the release of our hostages is one of the goals of the war, and there is urgency. For nearly six months, we haven't been able to bring back a hostage home alive. The unbearable responsibility lies with us - the members of the government."
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said that he is in favor of the deal but wrote down in his note that "We are not backing down from the Philadelphi Corridor!"
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told ministers in the security cabinet discussion, "According to the current outline, the scope of our forces on the Corridor will not only not decrease, but increase. The agreement is based on the map of the deployment of our forces on the axis that was approved last August."
A source told the Post that Netanyahu told the minister, "There are guarantees from both the Biden and Trump administrations that if talks on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement fail, and Israel's security demands are not met, Israel will be able to resume fighting in Gaza with US backing."
This was after sources in Smotrich's party said progress was made tonight in talks between him and Netanyahu, and that an agreement was reached regarding the conditions that Smotrich set regarding the IDF's return to fighting in Gaza and regarding control over humanitarian aid, and that his demands were accepted, Maariv reported. In talks between the two, Smotrich emphasized that without a full return to war, he would resign.