An Israeli security cabinet meeting was held on Friday to decide whether to approve a long-awaited ceasefire agreement with Hamas that would release dozens of hostages held in Gaza and stop the 15-month-old war.
The meeting, held in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, comes after negotiators signed the agreement in Qatar late Thursday — just hours after multiple setbacks threatened to upend the agreement.
If approved by the Council of Ministers, the agreement will be sent to the government later on Friday for final signing before the ceasefire enters into force on Sunday.
Netanyahu said in a statement on the X website: “Pending the approval of the security cabinet and the government, and the entry into force of the agreement, the release of the hostages will be carried out according to the planned framework in which it is expected that the hostages will be released on Sunday.” While the meeting was in progress.
The Prime Minister had previously said that he had already instructed a special task force to prepare to receive the hostages returning from Gaza – and that their families had been informed that the deal had been reached.
