The ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas is expected to come into effect on Sunday at 8:30 a.m., with the first Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under the agreement at around 4 p.m.
This follows approval of the deal by the cabinet early Saturday morning after over seven hours of debate. Twenty-four ministers voted in favor, and eight voted against.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal would not move forward until Hamas released the names of the first three hostage who are expected to be returned, something the terrorist organization was supposed to do 24 hours in advance, according to the deal.
The names had still not been received by press time.
The first three hostages to be released on Sunday will be civilian women on the list of 33 hostages to be freed in the 42-day first phase of the Israel-Hamas deal, according to Israeli officials.
Meanwhile, fighting continued as the IAF has kept up attacks since the deal was agreed to, pounding the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Netanyahu delivered a statement to the nation on Saturday night, before Israel begins implementation of the hostage deal’s first phase.
“Out of this terrible disaster, the tremendous strength of the Israeli people’s spirit was revealed, as was the supreme heroism of our soldiers, and it’s this that leads us with a fierce determination to achieve all the goals of the war: to return all our hostages, to eliminate Hamas’s governing capabilities, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to our country.
“The security cabinet and the government approved the deal’s outline,” the prime minister said. “The mission of freeing the hostages has stuck with me the entire time. Together with the citizens of Israel and many around the world, my wife, Sara, and I pray for the return of all our hostages. I promise you, we will meet all the war’s goals; we will bring everyone home.”
Netanyahu continued that “to date, we have brought home 157 of our hostages, 117 of whom are alive. In the agreement that has now been ratified, we will bring home another 33 of our brothers and sisters, most of whom are alive.”
The prime minister stated that the agreement is the result of both the outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden and the incoming Trump administration, as well as a “result of the heroism of our soldiers in battle.”
“As soon as he was elected, President-elect [Donald] Trump mobilized himself to free the hostages. He spoke to me on Wednesday evening. He welcomed the agreement, and he rightly emphasized that the first phase of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. That’s what he said – a ‘temporary ceasefire,’” Netanyahu emphasized, stating that both Trump and Biden have given full backing to Israel’s right to return to resuming the war if Israel concludes that the negotiations of the deal’s second phase are futile.
“I also appreciate President Trump’s decision to lift all remaining restrictions on the supply of essential weapons and ammunition to the State of Israel,” he added.
In his speech, the prime minister also established a few principles, including the ability to return to fighting if necessary. There will be a significant increase in the number of live hostages who will be returned in the first phase. Netanyahu said that contrary to Hamas’s position in May, the number of live hostages who were supposed to be released in phase one has almost doubled. Additionally, Israeli forces will continue maintaining their position at the Philadelphi Corridor. The premier said that he even plans to increase the amount of troops stationed there.
Netanyahu has also emphasized that the terrorists who are to be released from prisons in the deal will be sent to the Gaza Strip or abroad and not to the West Bank. He also added that the security cabinet has decided to reinforce Israeli forces in the West Bank “in order to protect our citizens.”
Cabinet meeting
The cabinet meeting to approve the deal was supposed to start at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, but it did not begin until around 6:30 p.m. due to ongoing discussion in the security cabinet.
The security cabinet voted in favor of the hostage deal, with the leaders of the Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionist parties National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich voting against it. Both threatened to leave the government if a ceasefire deal was approved.
Because the general cabinet meeting continued into the start of Shabbat, haredi (ultra-Orthodox) ministers left notes outlining their position in favor of a deal.
With the haredi votes in favor, the deal has a majority, despite opposition from the two parties’ ministers.
The ministers who voted against the deal were from those parties, as well as Likud Ministers David Amsalem and Amichai Chikli, Israel Hayom reported.
Both Amsalem and Chikli had expressed opposition to the deal before the vote, while RZP and Otzma Yehudit said they were against the deal.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud) was absent, according to Walla.
Many of the haredi ministers directly cited biblical principles in their decision to support a hostage deal.
Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli (Shas) wrote on his ballot: “Whoever saves one soul in Israel is as if he saved an entire world.”
UTJ head and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf wrote, “And you have no greater commandment than the redemption of captives.”
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel (Shas) added the verse “And may your brother live with you” on his ballot supporting the deal.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Minister Ze’ev Elkin (New Hope-United Right), and Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar and Education Minister Yoav Kisch (Likud) also announced that they would vote in favor.
Netanyahu told the cabinet that President-elect Trump had given his full backing for Israel to restart the war should Hamas violate the agreement before phase 2 of the deal, Israeli media reported on Friday.
The prime minister also told the cabinet that Trump would unfreeze weapons shipments, which he has claimed Biden froze.
Netanyahu once again blamed Hamas for the delay in reaching a deal, saying, “There was no deal on the table because Hamas opposed any deal. However, the situation changed because of the heroism of our fighters and because of our actions in the region, including our severe blow to the Iranian axis. Hamas remained isolated in this theater, and as a result, it folded and agreed to this deal.”
This is in direct contradiction to statements made earlier in the week by Ben-Gvir, who claimed that a hostage deal had not been achieved due to his influence.