Politics Israeli government approves Gaza agreement with Hamas
Following the breakthrough in the negotiations on a settlement of the Gaza war, the Israeli cabinet has also approved the agreement with the Islamist Hamas.
10.10.2025, 01:05
SDA
This was announced by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a meeting lasting several hours on Friday night. Despite the opposition of some far-right members of the government, the majority decision of the cabinet had been expected. The Israeli security cabinet had previously met for consultations.
Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of the peace plan recently presented by US President Donald Trump during indirect talks in the Egyptian coastal town of Sharm el-Sheikh. In addition to the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey were also involved in the negotiations as mediators. The Hamas leadership declared the Gaza war over following the breakthrough in negotiations in Egypt.
White House: US troops to secure ceasefire
Almost at the same time as the statement from Netanyahu's office, the White House announced that the USA wanted to support the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with its own troops. The US military command center responsible for the region (Centcom) will provide 200 soldiers, although they will not be deployed in the Gaza Strip, senior US government officials said in a telephone call with reporters.
The aim is to set up a joint control center, which will also involve forces from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and probably also the United Arab Emirates, they added. The center would bring together the various security forces and coordinate operations with the Israeli army. Where exactly the soldiers will be stationed is still being determined and will be announced later.
All hostages to be released
The agreement stipulates that all hostages held by Hamas and other Islamist terrorist organizations are to be handed over. There are still 48 hostages in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are still alive according to Israeli information - including German citizens. According to Israeli media, the hostages could be released on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. The peace plan provides for a deadline of 72 hours after the agreement comes into force.
"We have fought these two years to achieve our war aims," said Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu during the cabinet meeting alongside US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. "One of the central goals of the war is the return of the hostages, all the hostages, the living and the dead. And we are in the process of achieving that goal."
Israel's military withdraws to agreed line
Israel's army is to withdraw to an agreed line before the hostages are released. In return for handing over the abductees, Israel must release around 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment for serious crimes, according to the agreement. In addition, around 1,700 other Palestinians who were imprisoned after October 7, 2023 are to be released. It was initially unclear which prisoners were involved. This was one of the points of contention during the talks in Egypt.
The agreement on the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will lead to an end to the war, the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners and the import of aid, wrote Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari on Platform X. "The details will be announced later."
Hamas does not want to give up weapons despite peace plan
Other contentious points are likely to be negotiated later. There are still several unresolved issues. Among other things, Hamas has not agreed to hand over its weapons, as stipulated in the peace plan.
The USA had emphasized that there were two phases to the negotiations. Firstly, the release of the hostages, which has absolute priority. On the other hand, there was a second phase in which long-term peace was to be secured. The USA also included disarmament in this phase.
The Gaza war was triggered by the attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist terrorists on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with an unprecedented military offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since then.
