Israeli Cabinet Ratifies Gaza Ceasefire Deal, 20 Hostages to Be Released Within Days
UN, humanitarian groups prepare to scale aid as Trump-brokered agreement ends two years of conflict
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Israel’s cabinet ratified a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas on Thursday, setting the stage for 20 living hostages to return home within 72 hours and halting a devastating two-year war that killed tens of thousands.
The agreement, negotiated with direct involvement from President Donald Trump and his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, represents the first major breakthrough since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. A ceasefire is expected to begin in Gaza within 24 hours of the cabinet’s endorsement.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the deal a “desperately needed breakthrough” and urged both sides to “fully abide” by its terms.
“We have all waited far too long for this moment. Now we must make it truly count,” Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday. “All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The bloodshed must stop once and for all.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited Trump’s team for making the agreement possible after months of stalled negotiations.
“We couldn’t have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” Netanyahu said Thursday. “They worked tirelessly with Ron and his team, our team. And that and the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza in a combined military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas, I think, has brought us to this point.”
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Deal Structure and Timeline
The agreement marks the first phase of a multi-phase peace plan containing 20 points. Hamas has agreed to release all living hostages within days, a move that surprised analysts given the significant leverage the captives represented.
Witkoff, speaking after the cabinet vote, praised Netanyahu’s difficult decisions throughout the negotiations.
“The hard job was the prime minister’s,” Witkoff said. “He had the job of protecting this country. He had the job of making tough choices with regard to how tough to be with Hamas, when to be flexible, when not to be flexible.”
Former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney warned that implementation depends on two critical factors: Israel’s commitment to withdrawing forces and Hamas’s commitment to disarmament.
“If Israel determines or discerns that Hamas is not actually disarming, they have no more incentive to withdraw their forces,” Ratney told Sky News AM Agenda on Thursday. “And if Hamas doesn’t think Israel is sincere about actually withdrawing its forces from Gaza, they have no incentive to disarm.”
Humanitarian Response Mobilizes
UN agencies and humanitarian partners announced they are prepared to immediately scale operations once the ceasefire takes effect.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN’s Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, said enough food is ready to feed Gaza’s entire population for three months.
“There are over 660,000 children eagerly waiting to go back to school,” Lazzarini said. “UNRWA teachers stand ready to help them rebuild their lives.”
World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain urged swift action.
“We’re on the ground ready to scale up operations, but we need to move now—there is no time to waste,” McCain said.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgent need for medical support in Gaza’s devastated health system.
“The best medicine is peace,” Tedros said, calling for respect of the agreement “so the suffering of all civilians finally ends.”
Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy
The deal came together after intense pressure on both sides, according to former Middle East negotiator Frank Lowenstein, who served as U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.
“Behind the scenes, he basically told Bibi, either you do this deal or you’re on your own,” Lowenstein told Sky News AM Agenda of Trump’s message to Netanyahu. “There was a very tough message from Trump to Netanyahu saying, we’re done here. This is over.”
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan played a decisive role in pressuring Hamas to accept the deal, Lowenstein said.
“When he went to the Hamas folks and said, look, this war has got to end. Trump’s going to deliver the Israelis and I’m delivering you. And that’s just the way it’s going to be. I think that was really a game changer,” Lowenstein said.
Hamas’s willingness to release all living hostages without extended negotiations reflected the group’s “desperation” and “largely decimated” military position, Lowenstein added.
The negotiations gained momentum after Israel struck Hamas targets in Doha, Qatar, prompting Arab nations to pressure Trump to rein in Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu really overreached attacking Doha, trying to kill the Hamas negotiators,” Lowenstein said. “And after that, all of the Arab countries, the Qataris, Emiratis, Saudis, really everybody in the region came together and they went to Trump and said, you have to rein the Israelis in.”
Mixed Outlook on Sustainability
While welcoming the breakthrough, analysts expressed caution about the deal’s long-term viability.
Former Australian Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo predicted significant challenges ahead in his Sky News AM Agenda interview.
“As good news as what you have just broken, at this very moment, I’m positive there’ll be radical Hamas elements digging weapons into unknown locations so they can go back to get those weapons and explosives later,” Pezzullo said Thursday. “It’s going to be quite a ride.”
Pezzullo warned that terrorist attacks, assassinations and other violence would test the agreement’s resilience.
“If the occasional, and there will be, episodes of violence are kept in perspective because there will be terrorist attacks, there will be little splinter groups who will be trying to upset this process,” he told Sky News AM Agenda. “As long as everyone keeps their nerve, this can work.”
Jonathan Canricus, a former IDF spokesperson, described Thursday as “a good day” and “a hopeful day” for Israeli families.
“Many, many families are looking for closure. Many Israelis are wanting to end the war,” Canricus told Sky News AM Agenda. “And what they’re seeing is a first good chance of that happen.”
Regional Power Shifts
The deal reflects broader changes in Middle East power dynamics, with Iran’s influence diminished, Hezbollah weakened and Syria’s Assad regime fallen.
“Iran’s power has certainly been diminished, and so has Hezbollah’s and the Syrian regime of Assad has obviously fallen,” Lowenstein told Sky News AM Agenda. “And those were all strong supporters of Hamas, so I think they were increasingly feeling isolated and alone.”
Ratney identified Hamas as the other major player besides the United States.
“Hamas is weakened as they are, still holds cards. They still hold the hostages,” Ratney said. “I think they have fewer and fewer options, but I think they’re really the other major player in all of this, despite their weakened state.”
Call for Accountability
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the announcement “extremely significant” but urged accountability for human rights violations.
“All action going forward must be guided by the immediate goals of ending the killing, starvation and destruction,” Türk said from Geneva. He called for “a comprehensive process of transitional justice” to ensure accountability, warning that peace would remain fragile without it.
The war began after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, according to UN officials. The Israeli population and hostage families have been traumatized throughout the two-year conflict.
Guterres stressed that ending the violence is only the beginning.
“To turn this ceasefire into real progress, we need more than the silencing of the guns,” the UN chief said, calling for a “credible political path forward” toward ending the occupation and achieving a two-state solution.
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