Israel’s government early Friday approved a long-awaited deal with Hamas for the release of hostages, setting into motion a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and marking what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “a decisive development” in Israel’s war against the terror group.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the first phase of the agreement was signed Thursday morning in Egypt, and at 1:20 a.m. Friday the government gave its final authorization. The decision capped an intense evening of closed-door deliberations, diplomatic pressure and political debate over the release of imprisoned terrorists in exchange for Israeli captives.
The security cabinet convened behind schedule Thursday, and the full government meeting — initially slated for 6 p.m. — began only at 10:15 p.m. Netanyahu was absent at the start, meeting with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had flown in from Egypt after participating in final talks in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The delay was due to disagreements over the list of terrorists to be released under the exchange. According to sources, the Israeli negotiating team spent hours finalizing names to meet U.S. and Egyptian timetables.
When Netanyahu returned from his meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, the two Americans — both senior advisers to President Donald Trump — were invited to join the government session, an unusual move reflecting the deal’s diplomatic weight. After roughly 30 minutes inside, applause was heard from the cabinet room. Moments later, Netanyahu, Witkoff and Kushner emerged, signaling that the government had reached consensus.
The security cabinet did not vote; the final approval came from the full government. Minutes later, the ceasefire went into effect across the Gaza Strip.
Reports from Gaza around that time said several people were killed or missing in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City aimed at eliminating two Hamas terrorists. The IDF did not immediately comment.
At the government meeting, Netanyahu hailed the decision as “a decisive moment” and credited Trump and his envoys for helping to bring it about.
“For two years we have fought to achieve our war goals,” he said. “One of our central aims is to bring back all the hostages — and we are about to do that. We could not have reached this point without the extraordinary assistance of the president and his team. They worked tirelessly with Ron Dermer and our staff. These efforts, combined with the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, created military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas. I believe that is what brought us to this point.”
Witkoff replied that the “hard work truly belonged to the prime minister,” saying Trump “believes Netanyahu made very tough decisions that others would not have made.” He added, “We are here today because Hamas had no choice. The pressure was enormous, and Israel’s army advanced significantly on the ground. That led to this agreement.”
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