Jerusalem, Jan 18 (IANS) The Israeli government on Saturday approved a ceasefire agreement aimed at the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, following a lengthy cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the hostages’ release will come into effect on Sunday,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
At the meeting, 24 ministers voted in favor and eight against. The agreement is expected to take effect on Sunday, it said in a statement.
Three Israeli women held in Gaza and 95 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Sunday as part of the deal’s first phase, Xinhua news agency reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the meeting that he was assured by US President-elect Donald Trump that Israel would receive a halted arms supply once he takes office, reported Channel 12 News.
“This is important because if we do not reach the second phase of the deal, we will have additional tools to return to fighting,” Netanyahu said. “Trump is giving Israel full backing to return to war in case of a violation of the agreement.”
The full cabinet meeting was held after Israel’s restricted security cabinet voted in favor of the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostage agreement on Friday.
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right ministers, opposed the agreement and demanded a government commitment to resume fighting in Gaza once the first phase of the deal, in which Hamas would release 33 Israeli hostages, is completed.
Disputes have been resolved, Hamas said on Friday, a day after the group affirmed its commitment to the full terms of the accord in a statement.
The ceasefire agreement also includes provisions for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA has 4,000 truckloads of humanitarian aid ready to enter the coastal strip, with displaced Palestinians eagerly awaiting the arrival of food, fuel, and medicine.
–IANS
int/rs
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
