Israel’s security cabinet was set to meet Friday to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal that should take effect this weekend.
If approved, the agreement would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza’s deadliest-ever war and initiate the release of dozens of hostages held in the territory since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Under the deal struck by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt, the ensuing weeks should also see the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The ceasefire, due to begin Sunday after more than a year of war, would take effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States.
Gaza rescuers said Thursday that Israeli strikes killed dozens of people, while Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets across the territory over the past day.
But even before the start of the truce, Gazans displaced by the war to other parts of the territory were preparing to return to their homes.
“I am waiting for Sunday morning when they will announce the ceasefire,” said Nasr al-Gharabli, who fled his home in Gaza City for a camp further south in the territory.
“I will go to kiss my land, and I already regret leaving Gaza and my land. If I die on my land, it would be better than being here as a displaced person.”
In Israel, there was joy but also pain over the fate of hostages who have died or been killed since their capture.
In Tel Aviv, pensioner Simon Patya said he felt “great joy” that some hostages would return alive, but also “great sorrow for those who are returning in bags, and that will be a very strong blow, morally”.
The lead-up to Friday’s security cabinet meeting has been fraught with uncertainty, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accusing Hamas of reneging on key parts of the deal to extort last-minute concessions — an allegation Hamas denied.
His office said early Friday a “deal to release the hostages” had been reached, however, as he ordered the security cabinet to meet.
“The government will then convene to approve the deal,” it added.
At least two far-right cabinet members have voiced opposition to the deal, but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose government is Israel’s close ally, said 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.
