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Israel has confirmed that a ceasefire agreement has been reached in Gaza after resolving a last-minute crisis in talks with Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet will vote on the deal on Friday.
US-led mediators announced on Wednesday that both parties had agreed to a multi-stage deal to end the 15-month war and release the 98 hostages still being held by the Palestinian militant group.
However, Israel’s formal consent had been delayed due to disagreements with Hamas over which Palestinian prisoners should be released political tensions within the Netanyahu government.
The Cabinet is now expected to approve the deal on Friday, with the full government scheduled to meet and vote on Saturday evening after the Sabbath, according to a person familiar with the Israeli government’s deliberations.
By law, the Israeli public then has the right to appeal to the Supreme Court against the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons that are part of the deal – making it “likely” that the deal’s implementation is “likely,” it added the person will start on Monday.
Negotiators had previously been confident that the ceasefire would take effect and the first three Israeli hostages would be released by midday on Sunday.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is also trying to deal with a brewing political crisis at home. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on Thursday evening that he and his Jewish Power party would leave the ruling coalition if the “reckless” deal was approved.
Ben-Gvir and his ultranationalist ally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, had repeatedly threatened to leave Netanyahu’s government if it accepted a deal ending the war.
The withdrawal of Jewish Power would result in the prime minister’s coalition having a two-seat majority in the Israeli parliament. It would also increase pressure on Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party to follow suit and withdraw.
While it is believed that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich do not have enough support in the cabinet to torpedo approval of the deal, if they both pulled their far-right parties out of the government, the government would lose its parliamentary majority. Israel’s political system does not preclude minority governments, and opposition parties have said they are ready to support Netanyahu’s coalition if necessary.
But the loss of his two allies would shake Netanyahu’s hold on power and could lead to early elections.
