Israeli government endorses Gaza truce agreement, set to begin on Sunday.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel’s cabinet ratified an agreement with the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, just one day before the planned commencement of the deal.

In the early hours of Saturday, after over six hours of discussions, the government approved the agreement that may lead to an end of the 15-month-old conflict in the Palestinian territory, governed by Hamas. “The Government has sanctioned the plan for the hostages’ return.” “The plan for the release of the hostages will take effect on Sunday,” stated a short release from Netanyahu’s office.

In Gaza, Israeli warplanes have continued intense bombardments since the ceasefire agreement was reached. Medics in Gaza reported that an Israeli airstrike early Saturday resulted in the deaths of five individuals in a tent located in the Mawasi region west of Khan Younis in the southern part of the enclave. This raised the total of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks to 119 since the agreement was declared on Wednesday.

Following the approval from the Israeli cabinet, chief U.S. negotiator Brett McGurk stated that the plan was progressing as intended. The White House anticipates the ceasefire will commence on Sunday morning, with three female hostages set to be released to Israel on Sunday afternoon via the Red Cross.

“We have secured every single aspect of this contract.” “We are very sure… it is prepared for implementation on Sunday,” McGurk stated. According to the agreement, the three-part ceasefire begins with an initial six-week period during which hostages held by Hamas will be swapped for prisoners held by Israel. In this phase, thirty-three out of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages, comprising women, children, and men aged over 50, were set to be released. Israel plans to free all Palestinian women and children under 19 from Israeli prisons by the conclusion of the first phase. The Israeli Justice Ministry disclosed the names of 95 Palestinian inmates who will be released on Sunday last Friday.

Following Sunday’s hostage release, McGurk stated that the agreement stipulated the release of four additional female hostages after seven days, with three more hostages released every subsequent week. Amidst strong opposition from certain hardliners within the Israeli cabinet, media reports indicated that 24 ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition government supported the agreement, whereas eight were against it.

The adversaries claimed that the ceasefire deal signified a surrender to Hamas. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned he would resign if it passed and called on other ministers to oppose it. Nevertheless, he stated he would not topple the government. His fellow hardliner, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also warned he would resign from the government if it does not resume fighting to defeat Hamas after the initial six weeks of the ceasefire.

Following a last-minute postponement on Thursday attributed to Hamas by Israel, the Israeli security cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement on Friday, marking the first of two necessary approvals. Israel launched its offensive on Gaza following Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, during which approximately 1,200 individuals lost their lives and 250 were captured, as per Israeli counts.

The conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas has devastated much of densely populated Gaza, resulted in the deaths of over 46,000 individuals, and displaced the majority of the enclave’s 2.3 million people multiple times, as reported by local officials. Civilians in Gaza are experiencing a humanitarian emergency caused by hunger, cold, and illness. The ceasefire pact demands an increase in aid, and international agencies have trucks ready at Gaza’s boundaries to deliver food, fuel, medicine, and other essential supplies.

The Palestinian relief organization UNRWA announced on Friday that it has 4,000 truckloads of assistance, with 50% being food, prepared to enter the coastal area. Palestinians lined up for food in southern Gaza Strip on Friday expressed their hope that a truce would conclude the lengthy waits to fill a single plate.

“I wish for it to occur so we can cook in our houses and prepare any meals we desire, without the need to visit soup kitchens and tire ourselves for three or four hours attempting to obtain (food) – sometimes not even making it back home,” said displaced Palestinian Reeham Sheikh al-Eid.