Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wartime cabinet has approved a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The approval was made early Saturday, Israeli media reported. As a result, the ceasefire is expected to take effect from Sunday (January 19), as previously announced.
The US media outlet CNN reported that the first phase of the three-phase ceasefire has been set for an initial ceasefire of six weeks or 42 days. During this period, 33 Israeli hostages will be released. Among them are women, children and men over 50 years old. On the other hand, Israel will release 735 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Discussions on the implementation of the second phase of the agreement will begin within the 16th day of the first phase. It may include the release of all remaining Israeli prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The third phase is expected to include the return of the remaining bodies and the start of the reconstruction of Gaza. This work will be carried out under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
It is worth noting that in 2023, Israel launched a 15-month long attack on Gaza, including various regions, in response to Hamas' attacks. More than 46,000 people have been killed in these Israeli attacks. Most of them were children, the elderly and women. Millions of people have been injured. In addition, thousands of people have been displaced. They are struggling to survive in temporary shelters.