Israel’s cabinet to meet to approve Gaza ceasefire deal

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Israel has confirmed that a ceasefire deal in Gaza has been reached, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet set to vote on the agreement on Friday.

US-led mediators had announced on Wednesday that both parties had agreed a multiphase deal to halt the 15-month war and free the 98 hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group.

But formal approval by Israel had been delayed amid disagreements with Hamas over which Palestinian prisoners should be released and political tensions inside Netanyahu’s government.

According to a person familiar with Israeli government deliberations, the cabinet is now expected to approve the deal on Friday, with the full government set to meet and vote on Saturday evening after the Sabbath.

By law, the Israeli public then has the right of appeal in the Supreme Court against the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails that form part of the deal — making it “likely,” the person added, that the deal’s implementation would only begin on Monday.

Mediators had previously been confident that the ceasefire would take effect, and the first three Israeli hostages released, by midday on Sunday.

Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is also attempting to manage a brewing political crisis at home, with far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announcing on Thursday night that he and his Jewish Power party would leave the ruling coalition if the “reckless” deal were approved.

Ben-Gvir and his ultranationalist ally, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, had repeatedly threatened to leave Netanyahu’s government if it accepted an agreement that would end the war.

The departure of Jewish Power would leave the premier’s coalition with a two-seat majority in Israel’s parliament. It would also pile pressure on Smotrich’s Religious Zionist party to follow suit and withdraw.

While Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are not thought to have enough support in the cabinet to torpedo the deal’s approval, if they both pull their far-right parties out of the government, the coalition would lose its parliamentary majority.

Israel’s political system does not bar minority governments, and opposition parties have said they are prepared to prop up Netanyahu’s coalition if needed, but the loss of his two allies would shake the prime minister’s hold on power and could lead to early elections.