The Israeli government formally approved the ceasefire deal negotiated with Hamas, setting into motion the end of hostilities and the hopeful return of hostages.
The Israeli cabinet voted in favor of the deal following hours of deliberation that extended past 1 a.m. on Saturday morning local time.
After over a year of peace talks mediated by Qatari officials and President Joe Biden’s administration, Israel’s final approval marks a major step in normalizing tensions in the Middle East following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that sparked a scorched-earth campaign in Gaza.
The Israeli security cabinet encouraged the government to accept the deal after a review on Friday morning that found “that the proposed deal supports achieving the objectives of the war.”
According to the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agreement outlines a three-stage peace plan that will begin with a 42-day ceasefire.
The Qatari ministry wrote: “The first stage, which lasts 42 days, includes a ceasefire, the withdrawal and redeployment of Israeli forces outside densely populated areas, the release of hostages and exchange of prisoners and detainees, the exchange of the remains of the deceased, the return of internally displaced persons to their places of residence in the Gaza strip, and facilitating the departure of patients and wounded to recieve treatment.”
Thirty-three living hostages taken during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks are expected to be released. Two American citizens, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, are expected to be released in the first stage.
“The first stage also includes intensifying the safe and effective entry and distribution of humanitarian aid on a large scale throughout the Gaza strip,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry explained, including: “rehabilitating hospitals, health centers, and bakeries, bringing in civil defense supplies and fuel, and bringing in shelter supplies for displaced persons who lost their homes due to the war.”
Netanyahu faced pressure from hard-right allies, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to reject the proposed peace deal. Critics of the agreement have threatened to pull their parties out of the prime minister’s coalition.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his department is “going at a full sprint” to implement the recently confirmed peace deal before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday.
“I am confident and we expect that implementation will begin on Sunday,” Blinken told reporters on Thursday.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei applauded Hamas on Thursday for its continued armed resistance against the Israel Defense Forces.
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“It will be written in books that there was a mob who once killed thousands of children and women in Gaza!” Khamenei wrote on social media. “Everyone will realize it was the patience of the people and steadfastness of Palestinian Resistance & Resistance Front that forced Zionist regime to retreat.”
Officials in multiple countries have voiced support for the long-term goal of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state in the region — though such a project would require years of effort in national security, infrastructure construction, and diplomatic negotiation.
