Israel Cabinet to Vote on Gaza Truce Deal on Friday

Egypt calls for immediate implementation of Gaza ceasefire deal

Thu Jan 16 2025
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TEL AVIV: The Israeli cabinet is likely to meet on Friday to vote on a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, according to an Israeli official.

When asked if the cabinet would meet Friday to vote on the deal, the official said: “Yes.”

The agreement, announced by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt on Wednesday, is set to take effect on Sunday and involves the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.

Since the deal was announced, the Gaza Civil Defence agency said at least 80 people were killed and hundreds wounded in strikes by the Israeli military, which said Thursday it had struck about 50 targets over the past day.

According to the health ministry in Gaza 46,788 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian territory. The ministry said at least 110,453 people have been wounded in more than 15 months of Israeli war following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s foreign ministry on Thursday said the implementation of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must “start without delay”, a day after mediators announced Israel and Hamas had reached a truce.

In a statement, the ministry stressed “the need for the parties to adhere to its provisions and work to implement its stages on the specified dates”.

It also said Egypt was ready to host an international conference on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has said it would take over a decade to rebuild civilian infrastructure.

Cairo on Thursday called for the rapid, safe and effective distribution of humanitarian aid, as well as “early recovery projects in preparation for reconstruction”.

On Wednesday, Al-Qahera News reported coordination was “underway” to reopen the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border to allow the entry of aid.

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