File Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv. AFP
Although Israel announced a halt to attacks, bombardments continued in Gaza in the hours before the meeting. The ceasefire will officially take effect only after the government ratifies the deal.
Earlier, Israeli Channel 12 reported the ceasefire would begin at 12 noon, but the Israeli government denied these reports circulating in both Arab and Israeli media.
“Contrary to Arab media reports, the 72-hour countdown will begin only after the agreement is approved in the cabinet meeting, which is expected in the evening hours,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The cabinet must also approve the final list of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the agreement. Israeli law requires 48 hours for legal appeals against any names on the list.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan emphasised that the release of captives depends on a permanent end to the war, urging mediators to ensure Israel complies with the agreement. Palestinian factions fear Israel might withdraw from the deal after receiving all captives and refuse to proceed to the next phase.
Hamdan confirmed the deal includes the release of all Israeli captives, both alive and deceased, in exchange for 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained during Israel’s war on the territory.
He did not specify whether prominent Palestinian figures such as Fatah’s Marwan Barghouti or Popular Front’s Ahmad Saadat are included, noting only that Hamas submitted a prioritised list to Israel.
Netanyahu called the agreement a “diplomatic success.” However, his far-right coalition allies have strongly opposed any deal to end Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X that he would not support the deal but stopped short of threatening to topple the government.
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