Israel's cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire deal, fighting will be paused on Sunday

Israel's full cabinet has approved a deal in the early hours of Saturday morning for a ceasefire in Gaza that would release dozens of hostages held there and pause the 15-month war with Hamas, bringing the sides a step closer to ending their deadliest and most destructive fighting ever.

Mediators Qatar and the US initially announced the ceasefire on Wednesday but the deal was in limbo for more than a day as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted there were last-minute complications that he blamed on Hamas.

The ceasefire, the second achieved during the war, goes into effect on Sunday, though some questions remain, including the names of the 33 hostages to be released during the six-week first phase and who among them is still alive.

The Cabinet met well past the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, in a reflection of the moment’s importance.

In line with Jewish law, the Israeli government usually halts all business for the Sabbath except in emergency cases of life or death.

Netanyahu instructed a special taskforce to prepare to receive the hostages returning from Gaza and said that their families were informed a deal had been reached.

Hundreds of Palestinian detainees are to be released from Israeli prisons as well and the largely devastated Gaza should see a surge in humanitarian aid.

Israel's justice ministry published a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in the deal's first phase and said the release will not begin before 4pm local time on Sunday.

All people on the list are younger or female.

Israel's Prison Services said it will transport the prisoners instead of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which handled transportation during the first ceasefire, to avoid "public expressions of joy."

The prisoners have been accused of crimes like incitement, vandalism, supporting terror, terror activities, attempted murder or throwing stones or Molotov cocktails.

Trucks carrying aid have been lining up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza since Friday.

An Egyptian official said an Israeli delegation from the military and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss the reopening of the crossing.

An Israeli official confirmed a delegation was going to Cairo.

Israeli forces will also pull back from many areas in Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to what’s left of their homes.

Israel's military said that as its forces gradually withdraw from specific locations and routes in Gaza, residents will not be allowed to return to areas where troops are present or near the Israel-Gaza border and any threat to Israeli forces "will be met with a forceful response."

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.

Hamas triggered the war in October 2023 with its cross-border attack into Israel that saw some 1,200 people killed and 250 others taken as hostages back to Gaza.

Israel responded with a devastating offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead.

The conflict has destabilised the Middle East and sparked global protests as well as highlighting political tensions inside Israel, drawing fierce resistance from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.

On Thursday, Israel’s hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to quit the government if Israel approved the ceasefire.