Israel’s government has approved an agreement brokered by the US that paves the way for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the return of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Cabinet ministers approved the agreement in the early hours of Friday, just hours after both President Donald Trump and senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al Hayya declared the war in Gaza over.
Mr Trump has said the Israeli hostages would be released on either Monday or Tuesday, followed by the release of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
It remains unclear whether the deal would mark a definitive end to the war.
The US president has said he will travel to the Middle East this weekend for the signing of the agreement. The deal is expected to be signed in Egypt and he has been invited to address Israel’s parliament.
He called the initial agreement between Israel and Hamas “a momentous breakthrough” that would bring “peace to the Middle East”.
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President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law and former Middle East adviser Jared Kushner were both involved in the negotiations.
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Seated between the two, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised their role, as well as the “extraordinary assistance” from President Trump, in reaching an agreement.
“These efforts, together with the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, created combined military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas. I believe that these brought us to this point,” he said.
Reacting to news that Israel has approved the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace deal, Sky’s Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons said: “The decision came late, but it carries great consequence with it.”
Despite the announcement, “there is a spell of 24 hours when Israeli citizens can object to this peace deal… although that is incredibly unlikely,” he noted.
Parsons also pointed out that there may be opposition to the deal by far-right members of the Israeli government, including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir – but for now, the prime minister “will get this deal through and then deal with the fallout afterwards”.
200 troops from US and partner nations to monitor ceasefire
The US will deploy 200 troops to Israel to help monitor the Gaza ceasefire, officials have said.
A civil-military co-ordination centre will be set up to support security and humanitarian efforts. The US troops will work alongside forces from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, but will not enter Gaza.
However, the broader ceasefire plan still leaves major questions unresolved, including how and whether Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza.
“At the moment, just about nobody is talking about those for fear that they could disrupt this ceasefire,” Parsons said.
“But at some point, those huge and consequential questions are going to have to be addressed.”
Still, the parties appear closer than at any point in months to ending the two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, devastated much of Gaza, and caused famine in parts of the territory.
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The war, which began with Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests, and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led assault, and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ensuing offensive in Gaza and nearly 170,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. The ministry says around half of the deaths were women and children.
The cost of rebuilding Gaza
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump appeared to distance himself from earlier remarks made at the start of his administration, when he had speculated about a possible US takeover of Gaza and the forced relocation of Palestinian civilians.
When asked about Gaza’s future, Mr Trump said, “Nobody is going to be forced to leave, no.”
As a ceasefire looms, Gazans face the immense challenge of reconstructing homes and infrastructure devastated by the conflict.
A joint report from the UN, EU, and the World Bank earlier this year estimated that rebuilding will cost over $53bn (£39.75bn) and take several years.
Over the course of the war, large parts of Gaza have been levelled by Israeli airstrikes and bulldozers.
Residential areas have borne the brunt of Israeli strikes, with the UN estimating earlier this year that 90% of homes have been destroyed.
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Gaza City, the most populous city in the territory, has suffered the greatest damage, but extensive destruction now affects all major cities across the Gaza Strip.
In addition to the damage to homes, the same UN, EU, and World Bank report found that 90% of Gaza’s health, water, and sanitation systems, as well as over 80% of its croplands, were damaged during the war’s first year.
The destruction of clean water supplies and local food production has been a major factor contributing to the famine in Gaza.
