Hostage release and ceasefire agreement in Gaza set for final approval

The Israeli cabinet is set to review and potentially approve a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement concerning the Gaza Strip today, January 15.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly focused on preventing a government collapse due to opposition from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is against the agreement, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media sources.

Channel 12 TV revealed that the parties involved have agreed on the main terms of the prisoner release. Most Israeli government ministers, including 18 from the Likud party, six from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, and two each from United Torah Judaism and National Union parties, support the initiative. However, three ministers from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and three from the Religious Zionism party, led by Smotrich, oppose the agreement.

Earlier, Netanyahu met with Smotrich in an attempt to gain his support for the initiative. Israeli media reports suggest that negotiations on the ceasefire and prisoner exchange are nearing completion.

According to two Egyptian officials involved in the talks, Hamas has agreed to a draft ceasefire deal and the release of several hostages. The signing of the agreement is expected within the next 24 to 48 hours, and the first group of hostages could be freed by Sunday, January 19.

These developments are part of the ongoing violence in the region following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on Israeli territory, which led to casualties and hostage-taking. Israel responded with Operation Swords of Iron, aimed at dismantling Hamas’s military and political structures. The conflict in Gaza and tensions in the West Bank have persisted, exacerbating the region’s instability.

By Tamilla Hasanova