Israel confirms agreement to release hostages amid “political earthquake”

Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had reached an agreement on the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, after, on Thursday, he accused Hamas of backing down on points of the commitment. There are ministers threatening to resign.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the negotiating team that agreements for the release of hostages”, declared the director’s office in a statement this morning. The security cabinet is expected to meet this Friday to approve the agreement.

On Thursday, the cabinet had to backtrack on key points of the agreement to demand last-minute concessions. Hamas, however, denied the accusation.

Benjamin Netanyahu added that the families of the hostages had already been informed and preparations to receive them were being finalized.

If approved by the Israeli Government, the truce agreement begins on Sunday (at 10:15 am Lisbon) and involves, in a first phase, the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The first part, of three phases that are planned, will last 42 days. The conditions for the definitive end of the fighting will have to be defined at a later stage.

“Political earthquake in Israel”

If the deal goes ahead, the far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leaves the Government of Israel.

The promise was reaffirmed by himself, this Friday morning, who says that all the leaders of the party he leads will leave the executive with him.

Also the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrichfrom the other far-right party in the governing coalition, is against the agreement for a ceasefire. The Religious Zionist party imposes a condition to remain on Netanyahu’s side: that Israel returns to the charge in Gaza, after the end of the first phase of the agreement.

“We want to make sure that we fight Hamas again, that we have a plan to finish the job and make sure that Hamas is eliminated,” he said in statements to .

In other words, radical and far-right ministers will only remain in government if they are given this guarantee. Otherwise, the Government may fall.

In an analysis carried out in , the specialist in international politics, Tiago André Lopesspeaks of a “curious political earthquake” within the Israeli Government, which could compromise the next phases of the ceasefire.

“The two parties [de extrema-direita] will vote against, what are 13 votes against this agreement; and that leaves the implementation of phase 2 and phase 3 in question of the agreement. Because what the Minister of Finance demands is that after phase 1, the release of the 33 hostages, we return to confrontation and conflict”, he explained.