Israel’s government has ratified a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, paving the way to halt fighting in Gaza within 24 hours and begin the release of Israeli hostages within three days.
The Israeli cabinet gave its final approval early Friday, about a day after mediators unveiled the deal. The agreement provides for the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza—part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year-long war.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased,” read a post on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s English-language X account.
The war, now entering its third year, has left Israel increasingly isolated and the Middle East deeply destabilized, drawing in Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon. It has also strained ties between Washington and Jerusalem, with Trump reportedly growing impatient with Netanyahu and urging him to finalize a ceasefire.
News of the agreement sparked celebrations across both Israel and Gaza. The truce marks the most significant breakthrough yet in efforts to end a conflict that has claimed more than 67,000 Palestinian lives and left entire cities in ruins.
Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, said the group had received assurances from the United States and other mediators that “the war was over.” An Israeli spokesperson confirmed that the ceasefire would take effect within 24 hours of cabinet approval, with hostages to be freed within 72 hours afterward.
According to Israeli estimates, 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza, 26 are presumed dead, and two remain unaccounted for. Hamas has indicated that the retrieval of deceased captives may take longer than the release of survivors.
Once the truce begins, convoys of humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, are expected to enter Gaza to assist displaced civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom are living in tents after widespread destruction of homes.
However, challenges remain. Palestinian sources said the list of prisoners to be freed under the deal has yet to be finalized, as Hamas is pressing for the release of prominent figures and hundreds detained during Israel’s military operations.
Further elements of Trump’s 20-point peace plan—including governance of postwar Gaza and Hamas’s future status—are still under negotiation. Netanyahu also faces internal resistance, with far-right members of his coalition rejecting any compromise with Hamas. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to collapse the government if Hamas remains intact.
Despite the uncertainty, scenes of relief and joy unfolded across the region. “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
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“All of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire.”
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where families have gathered daily for months, Einav Zaugauker—whose son Matan is among those still held—expressed overwhelming emotion. “I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling… it’s crazy,” she said.
READ ALSO: Gaza Peace Deal: Hamas, Isreal To Begin Hostage Exchange Saturday
Although sporadic Israeli airstrikes continued ahead of the truce, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported a sharp decline in casualties, with seven deaths recorded in two incidents on Thursday.
Trump announced he would travel to the region on Sunday, possibly to attend a formal signing ceremony in Egypt.
Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana also invited him to address parliament—the first such invitation to a U.S. president since 2008.
The ceasefire plan has drawn support from both Arab and Western governments and is being hailed as a major diplomatic success for Trump. If fully implemented, it would represent his most significant foreign policy breakthrough, following earlier struggles to end the Gaza war and the conflict in Ukraine.
In Paris, Western and Arab officials met to plan postwar reconstruction and the establishment of an international peacekeeping force. U.S. officials said Washington would contribute 200 troops to a multinational task force—comprising Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and possibly the UAE—to help stabilize Gaza without deploying American soldiers on the ground.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities and a music festival, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign has devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians and displacing much of the population.
