Israel’s security cabinet was set to meet Friday after final details of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal were ironed out, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, with the United States “confident” the truce would begin as planned this weekend.
If approved by Israel’s cabinet, the ceasefire agreement would take effect Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.
Away from the diplomacy, Israeli strikes killed dozens of people, Gaza rescuers said Thursday, while Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets across the territory over the past day.
Netanyahu’s office had accused Hamas on Thursday of reneging on key parts of the agreement to extort last-minute concessions — an allegation Hamas denied.
Then his office said early Friday a “deal to release the hostages” had been reached and he had ordered the political-security cabinet to meet later in the day.
“The government will then convene to approve the deal,” it added.
At least two cabinet members have voiced opposition to the ceasefire, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying that he and his party colleagues would quit the government — but not the ruling coalition — if it approved the “irresponsible” deal.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also opposes the truce, calling it a “dangerous deal”.
But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been involved in months of mediation efforts, said Thursday he believed the ceasefire would go ahead on schedule.
“I am confident, and I fully expect that implementation will begin, as we said, on Sunday,” he said.
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