The Israeli government officially approved a ceasefire agreement on Saturday aimed at securing the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The decision followed a lengthy cabinet meeting, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announcing the approval after a vote in which 24 ministers were in favor and eight were opposed.
\"The Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the hostages' release will come into effect on Sunday,\" Netanyahu's office stated.
Despite the upcoming ceasefire, medics in Gaza reported an Israeli air strike early on Saturday that killed three people in a tent in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the southern part of the enclave. This incident brought the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire pact was announced on Wednesday to 119.
Lead U.S. negotiator Brett McGurk indicated that the White House expects the ceasefire to start on Sunday morning. \"We have locked down every single detail in this agreement. We are quite confident… it is ready to be implemented on Sunday,\" McGurk told CNN from the White House.
Under the terms of the deal, the ceasefire begins with an initial six-week phase that includes hostage-for-prisoner exchanges and could potentially lead to an end of the 15-month-old war. Thirty-three Israeli hostages, including women, children, and men over 50, are due to be freed in this phase. In exchange, Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained in Israeli jails by the end of the first phase.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
