by Dave Lawler and Barak Ravid at Axios
Israel’s cabinet has approved the agreement to stop the war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages.
The big picture: The agreement calls for an initial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Twenty Israeli hostages are to be freed after two years in captivity, along with the remains of 28 deceased hostages.
- It was signed by Israel, Hamas and the Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators on Thursday, but needed the approval of Israel’s cabinet to proceed.
- President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined the cabinet meeting alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Breaking it down: Within 24 hours of approving the agreement, the Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter within Gaza. That would likely be completed on Friday.
- As part of the agreement, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will be reopened in both directions. The crossing will be operated for now by a joint Egyptian-European force.
- Within 72 hours of that taking place, Hamas must release all of the remaining hostages. That should be complete by Monday.
After that, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences in Israeli jails after being convicted of killing Israelis. They will be released either to Gaza or go to exile in Arab and Muslim countries…
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