Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday that the cabinet has given approval to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. The plan includes the release of all remaining hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The cabinet endorsed the general framework of the deal concerning the hostage release, while certain contentious aspects were not specified. The commencement of the hostage and prisoner releases is anticipated to take place early next week.
Steve Witkoff, the chief negotiator appointed by Trump for the Gaza conflict, stated that the U.S. military has verified the withdrawal of Israeli troops as part of the ceasefire agreement on Friday. Witkoff conveyed on social media that the 72-hour countdown for the release of hostages has officially commenced at 7 a.m. ET.
In a recent cabinet meeting, Trump characterized the hostage release process as intricate, mentioning that the locations are challenging. Specifics regarding the operational procedures of the exchange remain limited at this time.
The agreement stipulates that within 72 hours of the military’s repositioning, all 48 hostages will be liberated from Gaza and handed over to Israeli security forces. Among the hostages, 20 individuals are confirmed to be alive, while Hamas has indicated that the retrieval of deceased hostages may pose delays due to unidentified burial sites.
Israel’s hostage coordinator, Gal Hirsch, declared that an international task force will assist in locating the remains of any deceased hostages unaccounted for by Hamas.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is set to oversee the exchange process. The ICRC, which has been involved in previous prisoner and hostage releases during the conflict, will facilitate the safe transfer of released hostages out of Gaza to predetermined locations.
Hamas is advocating for the release of prominent Palestinian convicts held in Israeli penitentiaries. Notably, high-profile figures such as Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Sa’adat, Ibrahim Hamed, and Hassan Salameh were not included in the list of prisoners disclosed by Israel. The roster comprises individuals like Ra’ad Sheikh and Iyad Abu al-Rub, with varied affiliations and histories of involvement in security incidents.
The ICRC anticipates the upcoming release of hostages and prisoners to be particularly challenging due to the scope and pace of the operation. The organization is preparing for multiple scenarios but has yet to receive detailed information regarding the timing, methods, and locations of the releases.
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