Netanyahu's office says hostage deal now agreed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that an agreement has been reached regarding a "hostage release deal." This comes after Netanyahu postponed a scheduled cabinet vote on Thursday to approve a Gaza ceasefire agreement, citing accusations that Hamas was attempting last-minute changes to the deal.

On Friday morning, Netanyahu's office stated that the negotiating team had informed him that agreement had been reached on the terms of the deal. He has ordered the political-security cabinet to convene later on Friday, and the government "will convene afterwards to approve the deal." The office also added that hostage families have been informed of the news. According to Israeli media reports, representatives from Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar have formally signed the agreement in Doha.

The ceasefire agreement was initially announced on Wednesday by mediators from the United States and Qatar. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated that the agreement would come into effect on Sunday, pending approval by the Israeli cabinet. Previously, Netanyahu had stated that the final details of the agreement were still being discussed, but he thanked Biden for "facilitating" the deal. Subsequently, Netanyahu postponed Thursday’s cabinet vote, accusing Hamas of trying to "extort last-minute concessions."

Hamas has stated its commitment to the agreement, but according to the BBC, Hamas attempted to add some members to the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the deal. Although Israeli negotiators have agreed to the deal, it cannot be implemented until it is approved by the security cabinet and the government. Currently, the country's security cabinet and government need to meet to approve the agreement. Two hardline right-wing ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both opposed to the agreement, have stated they will resign in protest. However, they indicated they would not join the opposition to bring down the government, as long as the war resumes six weeks after the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expects the ceasefire to begin on Sunday as planned, with the first three Israeli hostages released. Many Palestinian and Israeli hostage families celebrated after the initial announcement of the ceasefire. However, the war on the ground in Gaza has not stopped, and the Hamas-run health ministry stated that Israeli attacks have killed more than 80 people since the agreement was announced. The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency stated on Thursday that they had carried out strikes on 50 targets in Gaza since the agreement was announced. The first phase of the agreement, lasting six weeks, will see 33 hostages (including women, children, and the elderly) exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israeli forces will also withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas of Gaza. Displaced Palestinians will be able to begin returning to their homes, and hundreds of aid trucks will be allowed into the territory daily.

Negotiations for the second phase—which should release the remaining hostages, a full Israeli military withdrawal, and the restoration of "sustainable calm"—will begin on the 16th day. The third and final phase will involve the return of any remaining hostage remains and the reconstruction of Gaza—which could take years. Israel launched its operation to destroy Hamas following an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 people being taken hostage. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and other countries. According to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, more than 46,788 people have been killed in Gaza since then.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population has also been displaced, with widespread destruction and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter, while aid agencies struggle to provide assistance to those in need. Israel has stated that 94 hostages remain held by Hamas, with 34 presumed dead. There are also four Israelis who were kidnapped before the war, two of whom have already died.