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JERUSALEM/CAIRO: Israel’s cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday, a day before the agreement’s scheduled start.
In the early hours of Saturday, after meeting for more than six hours, the government ratified the agreement that could pave the way for an end to the 15-month-old war in the Palestinian enclave, which Hamas controls.
“The Government has approved the framework for the return of the hostages. The framework for the hostages’ release will come into effect on Sunday,” Netanyahu’s office said in a brief statement.
In Gaza, Israeli warplanes have kept up heavy attacks since the ceasefire deal was agreed.
Israeli tanks shelled eastern areas of the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City and Israeli planes fired on areas in central and southern Gaza on Saturday, residents said. Medics in Gaza said five people were killed in a tent in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis during an airstrike on the enclave’s south.
Some 123 Palestinians have now been killed by Israeli bombardments since the accord was announced on Wednesday, the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said.
Sirens sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Saturday. The military later said it has shot down a missile fired from Yemen and there was no mention of any casualties.
After the Israeli cabinet approval, lead U.S. negotiator Brett McGurk said the plan was moving forward on track.
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