Israel approves Gaza ceasefire, Hezbollah hails 'persistence of resistance'

Israel's cabinet voted to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal on Saturday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ending days of uncertainty about whether the truce would go into effect this weekend.  

The ceasefire will bgein at 0630 GMT on Sunday morning, Qatar, which helped mediate the deal, said.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said: "We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources."

The exact time of the ceasefire's start had been unclear, though Israel had said no prisoners would be freed before 1400 GMT.

The ceasefire would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza's deadliest-ever war.

It would also enable the release of hostages held in the territory since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Israel's preparations

The army said it is "preparing to absorb" the return of the captives, and that it is "working to provide them with an appropriate environment, both physically and mentally."

It will also "continue to act to ensure the security of the citizens of the state of Israel," the army added.

Israel's justice ministry said 737 prisoners and detainees will be freed as part of the first phase of the deal - none before 4:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) on Sunday. 

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem congratulated Palestinians for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the "persistence of resistance" against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.

"This deal, which was unchanged from what was proposed in May 2024, proves the persistence of resistance groups, which took what they wanted while Israel was not able to take what it sought," the leader of the Lebanese group said.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict parallel to the Gaza war in November.

Israeli strikes have killed dozens since the ceasefire deal was announced, with the military saying it had hit about 50 targets across Gaza over the previous 24 hours.

The truce is to take effect on the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump, who claimed credit for working with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's team to seal the deal.  

It was earlier approved by Israel's security cabinet, with Netanyahu's office saying it "supports achieving the objectives of the war."

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said the Palestinian Authority has completed preparations "to assume full responsibility in Gaza" after the war.

In the lead-up to the truce, displaced Gazans were preparing to return home.

In Israel, there was joy but also anguish over the remaining hostages taken in the Hamas attack.

Israeli attacks continue

Two far-right Israeli ministers had voiced opposition to the deal, with one threatening to quit the cabinet, but U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before the vote he believed the ceasefire would proceed.

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israel pounded several areas of the territory, killing 113 people and wounding hundreds more since the deal was announced on Wednesday.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned that Israeli strikes were risking the lives of hostages and could turn their "freedom... into a tragedy."

Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's war has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,876 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry.

The ceasefire agreement followed intensified efforts by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of fruitless negotiations.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, announcing the agreement on Wednesday, said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 hostages released.

On Friday, he said: "We seek a full implementation of the first phase, and for the second phase to be the final. We are waiting for the Security Council to issue a binding resolution to implement the agreement."

The Israeli authorities assume the 33 are alive, but Hamas has yet to confirm that.

Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza's densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return "to their residences," the Qatari prime minister said.

Two sources close to Hamas told journalists three Israeli women soldiers would be the first to be released on Sunday evening.

A permanent end to the war?

An Israeli military official said reception points had been established at Kerem Shalom, Erez and Reim, where hostages would be joined by doctors and mental health specialists before being "transported via helicopter or vehicle" to hospitals in Israel.

Israel "is then expected to release the first group of Palestinian prisoners, including several with high sentences," a source said on condition of anonymity.

During talks on Friday, negotiators agreed to form a joint operations room in Cairo to "ensure effective coordination" and compliance with the truce terms, Egyptian state-linked media reported.