Israel approves Gaza ceasefire

WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, convened his security Cabinet on Friday to vote on a ceasefire deal after confirming an agreement had been reached that would pause the 15-month war with Hamas in Gaza, in Jerusalem. The deal passed. KOBY GIDEON — ISRAELI GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE VIA AP

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By Aaron Boxerman

The New York Times

JERUSALEM >> Israel approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas early Saturday, setting up the first reprieve in the Gaza Strip in over a year. Palestinians have celebrated the truce with the hope that it will finally end the devastating 15-month war, and Israelis are anxiously awaiting the return of scores of captives abducted by Hamas.

The full Israeli Cabinet passed the agreement during a meeting that continued, unusually, into the Jewish Sabbath and into Saturday morning. The Israeli government said it would go into effect Sunday. Israeli civilians will have a short window to file objections, but the courts are widely expected to allow the agreement to go forward.

The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw 250 taken hostage. Israel’s ensuing military campaign has leveled much of Gaza, and tens of thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of Israeli troops have been killed.

The conflict went far beyond Israel’s borders, setting off a domino effect that is still reshaping the region. Hezbollah began attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas, leading to an Israeli campaign that hobbled the Lebanese militant group. And Israel and Iran — which backs both groups — exchanged direct blows, with Iranian missiles flying toward Israel and Israeli fighter jets bombarding Iran.

The ceasefire deal involves a complex array of Israeli withdrawals, security mechanisms and hostage-for-prisoner swaps. Under its terms, Israel and Hamas will observe a 42-day truce, during which Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During the truce, both sides will negotiate the next phase: an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But it was far from clear how long the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could hold, and the negotiations to end the war are likely to be bitter and difficult. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces internal rifts in his coalition, where some have decried the truce for leaving Hamas in power in Gaza for now.

Here’s what else to know:

• First pause in more than a year: The ceasefire would be the first since November 2023, when 105 hostages were freed in a weeklong truce in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Roughly 98 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities, dozens of whom are presumed dead.

• Attacks in Gaza: Deadly strikes have continued since the ceasefire deal was announced. The Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency service organization, said Friday that Israeli strikes had killed more than 100 people since the announcement. That figure could not be independently verified. The Israeli military said Thursday that it had struck about 50 targets across Gaza over the previous day, adding that “numerous steps” had been taken to prevent civilian harm before the strikes.

• Background on the deal: Qatar and Egypt mediated the ceasefire deal alongside the United States. Officials from both the Biden administration and the incoming government of President-elect Donald Trump played a major role in pushing the deal ahead during a last-minute marathon of shuttle diplomacy in the Qatari capital, Doha. But Israel’s final sign-off was complicated by last-minute disputes with Hamas. Both sides accused the other of reneging on the terms of the agreement.

• Trump’s inauguration: Trump, who had pressured the parties to reach an agreement before his inauguration, repeated in an interview shown Thursday that he wanted the deal closed before he took office Monday.