JERUSALEM — Israel’s government ratified a ceasefire with Hamas on Friday, setting the stage for a halt to hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and the release of remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours after that, officials said.
The Israeli Cabinet approved the deal in the early hours of Friday, about a day after mediators announced an agreement to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. It marks the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious initiative to end the two-year war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and devastated the enclave.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages — the living and the deceased,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s English-language account on X announced.
A government spokesperson said the ceasefire would take effect within 24 hours of the approval. Twenty Israeli hostages are believed to be alive in Gaza, with 26 presumed dead and the fate of two unknown. Hamas has signaled that retrieving the bodies of those killed could take longer than freeing the living.
Under the agreement, fighting would stop, Israel would partially withdraw its forces from Gaza, and Hamas would release all remaining captives in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Convoys of trucks loaded with food and medical aid would then flood into the territory, offering relief to hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been living in tents after their homes were destroyed and entire cities reduced to rubble.
The announcement sparked widespread rejoicing among Israelis and Palestinians, a rare moment of shared hope after two grueling years of conflict that began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.
“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo, speaking from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. “All of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square — a vigil site for families of those abducted in the initial assault — Einav Zaugg, whose son Matan is among the last captives, could barely contain her emotions amid the red glow of celebratory flares. “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said, her voice breaking.
Hamas’ exiled Gaza leader, Khalil al-Hayya, said he had received assurances from the United States and other mediators that the war was over. Two senior U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to reporters, confirmed Washington would contribute 200 troops to a multinational task force aimed at stabilizing Gaza. The Americans would not set foot in the Palestinian territory itself but would join forces from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and likely the United Arab Emirates.
Trump, who brokered the deal as part of his broader 20-point plan, hailed it as a potential turning point. He plans to travel to the region on Sunday, possibly for a signing ceremony in Egypt, and has been invited by Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to address parliament — the first such speech by a U.S. president since 2008. “I hope this will lead to an everlasting peace in the region,” Trump said.
Yet the path forward remains fraught. Even after ratification, a Palestinian source indicated the list of prisoners to be released remains unsettled. Hamas is pushing for the freedom of high-profile convicts and hundreds more detained during Israel’s military campaign.
Deeper challenges loom in Trump’s plan, including how to govern the war-torn Gaza Strip once the guns fall silent and what becomes of Hamas, which has rebuffed Israeli demands to disarm. Netanyahu faces immediate pushback from his own far-right coalition partners, who view any accommodation with the group as a betrayal.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed to vote against the deal and threatened to topple the government if Hamas isn’t eradicated. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed the hard line, insisting the militant group must be destroyed after the hostages are returned.
As the ink dried on the agreement, the fragile truce faced an early test. Israeli strikes continued in Gaza ahead of the official ceasefire, killing seven people in two separate attacks, according to local health authorities — a sharp drop from the dozens slain daily in recent weeks.
If fully implemented, the accord would represent the closest the warring sides have come to peace since the conflict erupted. For now, though, the jubilation underscores a collective exhaustion with the endless cycle of violence — and a flicker of optimism that this time, it might just stick.
