The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that an agreement has been reached with Hamas for the release of hostages held in Gaza. Israeli media reports that negotiators from Israel, Hamas, the United States and Qatar officially signed the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages in Doha.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Israel's security cabinet to meet on Friday, after which the government will meet to approve the deal, A2 CNN writes.
On the American side, the agreement was signed by Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser. According to American media, US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, also worked on reaching the agreement.
G7 leaders, A2 CNN reports, called the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip "an important development" and urged Israel and Hamas to work towards its "full implementation."
The agreement, expected to come into effect on Sunday, will see a pause in fighting in Gaza and lead to the phased release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners.
Since Wednesday, when the deal was announced, Israeli bombing has killed dozens of people in Gaza, marking the highest daily death toll in more than a week.
International aid agencies welcomed the agreement and pledged to increase their work in Gaza. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees called for "rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access" to the strip to alleviate the suffering caused by the war, A2 CNN reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a major political blow ahead of an expected vote by his security cabinet on the ceasefire and hostage deal reached by the Jewish state and Hamas.
Friday's planned vote precedes a broader government meeting to approve the deal, which has faced a strong reaction from some members of Netanyahu's ruling coalition, A2 CNN reports.
Two far-right parties have threatened to leave the government if the deal is reached, a move that could be the catalyst for the prime minister to lose his majority in the Knesset, or parliament.
Netanyahu has long faced international and domestic pressure to reach a deal to free the hostages and end the war in Gaza. And the return of US President-elect Donald Trump to power has added to the pressure on the Israeli leader to complete the deal. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
