During the day, the security council of the Israeli government is expected to meet, after the finalization of the last details of the agreement to declare a ceasefire and release the hostages, as announced in the early hours of the morning by the services of the prime minister, while Washington assured as is “confident” that the truce will be implemented the day after tomorrow, Sunday.
The agreement, announced yesterday Wednesday by Qatar and , two of the countries that mediated the indirect negotiations, will be implemented if approved by the Israeli government.
The final end of the war will be negotiated during the first phase.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the team of negotiators that agreements have been reached for the release of the hostages,” according to a statement from his services.
“The prime minister ordered a meeting of the political and security council today” and “the government will meet afterwards to vote and approve the agreement,” his office added.
He added that the families of the hostages have been informed and that preparations are underway to receive the hostages.
Majority assured
The Israeli prime minister has secured a majority. One of them, Itamar Ben Gvir (National Security), threatened yesterday Thursday that he will resign if the government adopts the “irresponsible” agreement with Hamas, but without leaving the coalition of Mr. Netanyahu.
The Times of Israel reports that the cabinet will approve the deal on Saturday, postponing the expected return to Monday as opponents of the deal must be given time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
What does the truce provide?
The first phase calls for a “total ceasefire”, the release of 33 hostages, including women, children and the elderly, the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces units from populated areas and an increase in humanitarian aid entering the Palestinian enclave.
For its part, Israel “will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners,” said Mr. Biden.
During the second phase, there will be a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
The third and final phase will be dedicated to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and will allow for the handover of the bodies of hostages killed while in captivity.
Trump: The deal is my achievement
At the same time, US President-elect Donald Trump assured that the agreement reached to declare a ceasefire would never have been concluded had it not been for pressure from him and members of the team who will join his administration tomorrow.
The agreement, announced yesterday Wednesday by Qatar and the US, is expected to be implemented the day after tomorrow, Sunday, if approved by the Israeli government.
It foresees in its first phase, lasting six weeks, the release of dozens of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave, in exchange for the release of about a thousand Palestinians held in Israeli detention centers. In the second phase, the parties will negotiate a definitive end to the war.
Four days before being sworn in for his second term, Mr. Trump told the conservative Dan Bongino Show podcast that the negotiations would never have come to fruition without pressure from him and his team, particularly his incoming special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
“If we hadn’t been involved in this deal, it would never have been closed,” the Republican assured.
“We changed the course of the situation”
“We changed the course of the situation, and we changed it quickly, and frankly, the good I want them to have done (including the start of its implementation) before I take the oath,” he added.
The so-called security council of the Israeli government is expected to meet today to consider this agreement, which is expected to be implemented the day after tomorrow, Sunday, the eve of the Republican’s inauguration.
The leader of the American right also blamed the outgoing president Joe Biden for not giving him the credit he deserves for concluding the agreement, characteristically saying that he was not “so kind”. “He didn’t do anything! If I hadn’t done it, if we hadn’t intervened, the hostages would never have been released,” he insisted.
In May 2024, Mr. Biden presented a cease-fire agreement whose terms were practically the same.
The agreement under consideration provides for a ceasefire initially for 42 days, during which 33 hostages will be released and Israeli army forces will be withdrawn from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.
Its second phase can bring the “definitive end” of the war, as noted by the outgoing American president.
In the context of an interview he gave yesterday to MSNBC, Mr. Biden also noted that he had not recently had any discussions with Trump’s successor about indirect negotiations.
