Israeli Cabinet approves agreement to stop the war in Gaza
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Steve Witkoff (L) and Jared Kushner (R) join Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Cabinet meeting. Photo: Israeli government press office
Israel's Cabinet has approved the agreement that stops the war in Gaza and frees the remaining hostages.
The big picture: The agreement calls for an initial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Twenty Israeli hostages are to be freed after two years in captivity, along with the remains of 28 deceased hostages.
Zoom in: It was signed by Israel, Hamas and the Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators on Thursday, but needed the approval of Israel's Cabinet to proceed.
- Five ministers from the ultranationalist Religious Zionism and Jewish Power voted against it.
- President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined the Cabinet meeting alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Breaking it down: After the approval of the agreement by the Israeli Cabinet, the ceasefire in Gaza comes into effect immediately.
- Within 24 hours of approving the agreement, the Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter within Gaza. That would likely be completed on Friday.
- As part of the agreement, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will be reopened in both directions. The crossing will be operated for now by a joint Egyptian-European force.
- Within 72 hours of that taking place, Hamas must release all of the remaining hostages. That should be complete by Monday.
After that, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences in Israeli jails after being convicted of killing Israelis. They will be released either to Gaza or go to exile in Arab and Muslim countries.
- Israel will also release 1,700 Palestinians who were detained by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza after Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
- In return for the bodies of the 28 deceased hostages, Israel will return the bodies of 360 Palestinians killed in the fighting in Gaza.
Between the lines: Hamas says it will need more time to locate the bodies of all the dead hostages. Israeli officials say that's a false claim. According to the agreement, Israel, the U.S., Egypt, Qatar and Turkey will form a task force to locate bodies Hamas says it can't find.
- Israel refused to release several high-profile Palestinian prisoners that Hamas sees as symbols — like Marwan Barghouti, the former Fatah leader in the West Bank.
The other side: Hamas' chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya declared in a speech on Thursday that the war in Gaza has ended and a permanent ceasefire has begun.
- He stressed that Hamas has received guarantees from the U.S. and from the Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian mediators that the war has completely ended and will not be resumed unilaterally by Israel.
What to watch: Witkoff and Kushner met on Thursday in Cairo with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who invited Trump to visit Cairo in the coming days for a signing ceremony.
- President Trump said he is expected to leave for the Middle East on Sunday and visit Egypt and Israel. He told Axios he would "likely" address the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
- From Cairo, Witkoff and Kushner continued to Israel and met with Netanyahu ahead of the Cabinet meeting.
Go deeper: Trump tells Axios he's "likely" going to Israel for speech after Gaza deal
Editor's note: This story has been updated with more details about the vote and terms of the agreement.
