Gaza latest: Israeli cabinet approves Trump’s peace plan for ceasefire and hostage release – UK Times

Celebrations erupted in Gaza and Israel as the news spread that a ceasefire and hostage deal brokered by Donald Trump could end two years of bloodshed. But for many Palestinians, anxieties about the future remain.

The president said Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of the deal, which should bring an end to Benjamin Netanyahu’s assault on the territory along with the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees.

Israeli cabinet and government meetings taking place on Thursday are the final step towards ratifying the deal. If approved, the ceasefire will come into effect 24 hours after the cabinet meeting, a government spokesperson said.

Nedal Hamdouna reports from Gaza.

The Israeli cabinet approved the Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire agreement during the early hours of Friday, but it was not immediately clear whether the ceasefire had gone into effect.

A statement from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan.

An Israeli official told the Associated Press that the ceasefire should begin immediately after government approval.

The Israeli military has 24 hours to pull back its forces to an agreed-upon line.

The Israeli officials, however, have not clarified when the ceasefire will officially begin.

Despite approving the peace plan, Israel continued its military activity in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Information Centre.

Explosions were seen yesterday in northern Gaza and a strike on a building in Gaza City killed at least two people and left more than 40 trapped under rubble, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence.

The US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza as part of a team that includes partner nations, non-governmental organisations and private-sector players, US officials said.

The officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the US Central Command is going to establish a “civil-military coordination center” in Israel that will help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into the territory wracked by two years of war.

The remarks provide some of the first details on how the ceasefire deal would be monitored and that the US military would have a role in that effort.

After Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a Trump administration plan to halt the fighting, a litany of questions remain on next steps, including Hamas disarmament, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a future government in the territory.

One of the officials said the new team will help monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the transition to a civilian government in Gaza.

The coordination center will be staffed by about 200 US service members who have expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering, said the official, who noted that no American troops will be sent into Gaza.

The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli newspaper, has honored President Donald Trump on its front cover.

The front cover features a silhouette of Trump filled with the faces of 48 Gaza hostages and the words: “He’s Bringing Them Home.”

A quote from former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir is also displayed. It reads: “Perhaps it is early yet to say ‘in the aftermath of the war,’ for we are actually living under a cease-fire in a war which has not yet ended.”

It comes after Trump helped broker the first phase of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter has told PBS News Hour, “Hamas cannot remain standing in Gaza.”

“If they do not disarm, then we’re gonna go back into military confrontation,” Leiter said.

Israel’s Cabinet early Friday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas, a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.

A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.

The broader ceasefire plan included many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appeared closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the territory and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in Gaza.

The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

Read more from Samy Magdy, Melanie Lidman and Wafaa Shurafa.

“We are all breathing a sigh of relief that Israel and Hamas have agreed to terms for the release of all remaining hostages, an initial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the increased delivery of much-needed aid,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, has said.

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff sat on either side of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the press following the Israeli government’s approval of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas peace deal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has thanked President Donald Trump for making the first phase of the Israel-Hamas peace deal “possible.”

A joint task force made up of officials from the United States, Israel, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt will locate the bodies of dead Gaza hostages whose locations are unknown, a senior Turkish official told The Times of Israel.