Israel And Hamas Sign Hostage-Ceasefire Deal, Voting To Happen On Saturday: Reports Say

On January 17, Israel's Prime Minister's office announced that a deal had been reached between Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel. The agreement, signed in Qatar, was confirmed by a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu♛’s office, which mentioned that the Israeli Prime Minister had scheduled a security cabinet meeting for Friday to vote on the deal. Though the deal has been done, voting may be delayed to Saturday, according to a Jerusalem Post report, which will further delay the release of the first hostages until Monday instead of Sunday as originally planned.

✤The full Israeli cabinet will later convene to formally approve the agreement. Shortly after the deal was finalized, Netanyahu was informed by the Israeli negotiating team and thanked them for their efforts, the statement noted. The Israeli government reiterated its commitment to achieving all the objectives of the war, including the return of both living and deceased hostages.

🧔The vote is expected to face significant opposition, with three ministers already threatening to resign if the war against Hamas is halted, reports said.

The current war was triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023 by hold Israeli hostages and attacking few areas of the neighbouring land and in response, Israel over the next 15 months continued the war against Gaza💧 with regular airstrikes killing at least 46,788 Palestinians and injuring 110,453 others including babies.

✤According to an AP report, Netanyahu is under intense domestic pressure to secure the release of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have warned they will bring down his government if he makes too many concessions. While Netanyahu has enough support from opposition parties to approve the deal without his coalition, such a move would weaken his government.

📖One of his far-right allies, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has already voiced opposition to the agreement. Another ally, Bezalel Smotrich, posted on X late Wednesday, demanding "absolute certainty" that Israel can resume the war later, describing the current deal as "bad and dangerous" for the country.

꧃Meanwhile, attacks on Gaza continue. Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight, even as people celebrated the ceasefire deal. At least 81 people were killed, and 200 injured in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

♉Al Jazeera reported that in one of the attacks, Israeli forces targeted a school in the al-Zeitoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people. The strike killed two and injured six, according to the Gaza Civil Defence.