Israel’s full cabinet approves ceasefire deal with Hamas

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Benjamin Netanyahu’s full cabinet has endorsed the Gaza ceasefire deal, the Israeli government announced early on Saturday, paving the way for the truce in the 15-month war with Hamas to go into force on Sunday.

US-led mediators on Wednesday announced 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.

However, Israel’s formal approval was delayed because of disagreements with Hamas over which Palestinian prisoners should be released and political tensions inside Netanyahu’s government.

The prime minister’s office earlier on Friday said Netanyahu’s security cabinet had endorsed the deal, which then needed to be approved by a majority vote of all the ministers in government.

That inner group of ministers had given it a green light “after examining all the diplomatic, security and humanitarian aspects; and with the understanding that the proposed agreement supports the achievement of the war’s goals”, it said.

The government then met on Friday evening with the announcement of the approval not being made until around 1am, local time, on Saturday. The hours-long meeting went well past the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, when the Israeli government usually halts all business.

Netanyahu’s office had earlier said implementation of the deal and the release of hostages would begin on Sunday if both the security cabinet and the government approved it.

While the Israeli government had previously accused Hamas of backtracking on the agreement, the prime minister’s office on Thursday night said Netanyahu had been “updated by the negotiating team that agreements have been reached on a deal for the release of the hostages”.

Netanyahu is also trying to manage a brewing political crisis at home, with far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Thursday night announcing 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 coalition with a two-seat majority in Israel’s parliament. It would also pile pressure on Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party to follow suit and withdraw, although prospects appear to be growing that they will remain in government during the deal’s initial six-week stage.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich do not have enough support inside the government to torpedo the deal itself, although 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.