BREAKING: Israeli government approves hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas

January 17, 2025 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: TimesOfIsrael.com

Ministers vote 24-8 in favor of deal, which is set to take effect Sunday with start of Gaza ceasefire, release of three Israeli captives, freeing of Palestinian security prisoners

 

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.

Convicted murderers on latest Justice Ministry list of Palestinian security prisoners to be freed

Following the government vote to approve the hostage deal, the Justice Ministry publishes another list of Palestinian security prisoners slated to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

The new list over 700 prisoners includes numerous terrorists serving life sentences for murder, among them members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement.

A statement from the Justice Ministry says the first batch of prisoners slated to freed won’t be released until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

2 Likud ministers join far-right cabinet members in opposing hostage deal

Likud ministers David Amsalem and Amichai Chikli were among the eight cabinet members to vote against the hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas, along with ministers from the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, also of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, was not present.

The Otzma Yehudit ministers who opposed the deal are Itamar Ben Gvir — the party’s leader, Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu. The head of Religious Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich, was joined by his party’s ministers Orit Strock and Ofir Sofer in voting against.

Otzma Yehudit has threatened to quit the coalition over the deal, while Religious Zionism will apparently remain in the government despite opposing the agreement after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly reached understandings with Smotrich to keep his faction in the fold.

Government ministers vote in favor of approving hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas

The 33 houstages set to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Row 1 (L-R): Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Arbel Yehud, Doron Steinbrecher, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas; Row 2: Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy, Ohad Ben-Ami, Gadi Moshe Moses; Row 3: Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon, Eli Sharabi, Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz; Row 4: Tsahi Idan, Hisham al-Sayed, Yarden Bibas, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Sasha Trufanov; Row 5: Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov (all photos courtesy)

The 33 houstages set to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Row 1 (L-R): Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Arbel Yehud, Doron Steinbrecher, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas; Row 2: Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy, Ohad Ben-Ami, Gadi Moshe Moses; Row 3: Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon, Eli Sharabi, Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz; Row 4: Tsahi Idan, Hisham al-Sayed, Yarden Bibas, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Sasha Trufanov; Row 5: Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov (all photos courtesy)

The full Israeli government votes in favor of approving the hostage-ceasefire agreement with Hamas, after the security cabinet gave its blessing to the deal on Friday.

The Prime Minister’s Office issues a statement confirming the government approved the deal, which Hebrew media outlets report 24 ministers voted in favor of and eight opposed.

The statement adds that the deal will enter into force on Sunday, when the first three Israeli hostages are to be freed. Thirty-three hostages are to be freed in the first, 42-day phase of the deal.

Now that the government has approved the agreement, opponents of the deal can petition the High Court of Justice against the release of Palestinian security prisoners who are set to be freed, though the court is unlikely to intervene.

PA makes deal with Jenin Battalion, ending standoff in northern West Bank city and camp

Illustrative: Smoke rises during clashes between gunmen and the Palestinian Authority's security forces, inside the Jenin refugee camp, on January 12, 2025. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)

Illustrative: Smoke rises during clashes between gunmen and the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, inside the Jenin refugee camp, on January 12, 2025. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)

The Palestinian Authority has reached an agreement with the Jenin Battalion that will end over a month-long standoff in the northern West Bank city and adjacent refugee camp, a Palestinian official confirms to The Times of Israel.

The PA has been conducting a counterterrorism operation in Jenin since last month, targeting the so-called Jenin Battalion, which is made up of operatives affiliated with terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Ramallah has blamed Iran for funding and arming the Jenin Battalion and other armed factions throughout the West Bank. Fifteen Palestinians were reportedly killed throughout the operation, including six members of the PA security forces, eight civilians, and one terror suspect. A handful of Jenin Battalion members have also been arrested by PA forces.

The armed groups have gained significant prominence in the northern West Bank over the past several years, with the PA seen to have largely lost control over the area.

The PA launched its counterterrorism operation ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as it seeks to demonstrate its ability to maintain stability in the West Bank.

Early on in the operation, the Jenin Battalion managed to steal a pair of vehicles belonging to the PA security forces, who subsequently intensified the raid of the refugee camp.

While the operation has continued, the sides have held negotiations aimed at reaching a truce under which the armed groups would hand over their weapons in exchange for immunity.

A deal was on the verge of being reached early this week, but talks blew up following a pair of Israeli airstrikes in the camp on Tuesday and Wednesday that killed 12 people including civilians, two Palestinian officials told The Times of Israel on Thursday.

The IDF had held off on conducting any strikes or raids in Jenin when the PA began its raid but ended that policy this week.

One of the Palestinian officials speculated that the decision was pushed by far-right elements in the Israeli military and government who don’t want the PA to succeed in its effort.

The official said the strikes may have also been designed to scuttle the brewing truce — something that Ramallah believes would significantly calm tensions in the northern West Bank.

The talks resumed later Thursday, and the sides managed to reach an agreement Friday evening, the official says.

The deal requires specific members of the Jenin Battalion to hand over their weapons and allows the PA to operate freely in the refugee camp, the Palestinian official says.

PA vehicles have already been filmed entering the refugee camp this evening with bomb-squad units to detonate explosives that the Jenin Battalion placed throughout the area to harm Israeli and PA forces.