(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The Israeli government approved the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal early Friday morning during a meeting that included US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
According to The Times of Israel, the approval of the deal now means that a ceasefire is in effect. However, Al Jazeera reported an Israeli airstrike and shelling in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, and attacks east of Gaza City early Friday morning.
The IDF continued to bomb Gaza on Thursday, including a strike in Gaza City that killed at least four Palestinians and left 40 missing under the rubble. The UN has said that it’s ready to surge aid into Gazato bring relief to the starving population.
Under the deal, Hamas will release all remaining Israeli captives within 72 hours in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Within 24 hours, Israel will pull its troops back from some areas of Gaza, but the IDF will retain control of more than 50% of the Palestinian territory.
Dropping its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the release of all the Israeli hostages was a significant concession from Hamas, which says it has received a guarantee from the US that Israel won’t restart its genocidal war.
“We received guarantees from the mediators and from the US administration, and everyone confirmed that the war has completely ended. We will continue to work with all national and Islamic forces to complete the next steps,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official who Israel recently tried to assassinate in Qatar.
Many details of the long-term implementation of the ceasefire deal still need to be worked out, but President Trump is insisting that he has “ended the war” and that the deal will lead to an “everlasting peace.”
According to a report from Israel Hayom, the US has given Israel a guarantee that it would back Israeli military action if it determined Hamas violated the deal in a way that “poses a security threat.” The report said the understanding “constitutes a side agreement” between the US and Israel.
The US gave Israel a similar side deal for the November 2024 Lebanon ceasefire agreement, which Israel continues to violate on a near-daily basis.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
