Israel’s security cabinet is slated to convene on Friday, January 17, 2025, to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
This comes as Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu officially confirmed that a ceasefire deal has been reached with Hamas.
The security cabinet meeting was originally slated for Thursday, January 16, 2025 but Netanyahu delayed it, accusing Hamas of stalling on a few minor issues.
Israeli analysts suggest, however, that the real issue is internal rifts among far-right members of his government who oppose the deal.
Netanyahu faces a major political fallout ahead of an expected vote by his security cabinet on the ceasefire and hostage deal reached by the Jewish state and Hamas.
Eight of the security cabinet’s 11 members are from Netanyahu’s Likud party. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right coalition partners in the security cabinet, have openly opposed the deal.
Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign from Netanyahu’s government if it ratifies the deal, describing it as “reckless” and saying it will “erase the achievements of the war.”
Other partners in Netanyahu’s coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, have also threatened to resign without assurances on resuming the war.
Opposition parties, however, have promised to support the Prime Minister as long as the ceasefire deal moves forward, according to Israeli media.
Despite his strong words against the ceasefire deal, Ben-Gvir told reporters that he does not intend to “overthrow” Netanyahu’s government and will consider returning if the ceasefire fails.
Netanyahu’s Likud party said in a statement that “whoever dismantles a right-wing government will forever be in disgrace.”
Likud also defended the ceasefire and said it would “maximise the number of live hostages” released while guaranteeing “Israel’s security for generations to come.”
The security cabinet is likely to vote before Shabbat starts at sundown.
The Times of Israel also reports that there are further steps that need to be taken before the ceasefire deal – which is expected to start on Sunday – will officially come into force:
After the security cabinet meeting and vote, Netanyahu will convene a full cabinet meeting on Saturday, January 18, 2025 night.
It is unclear how this meeting will differ from Friday’s security cabinet meeting, but reports say it is being held to accommodate cabinet members observing the Sabbath – a day of rest in Judaism running from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.
If the ceasefire is formally approved on Saturday night, opponents of the deal will then be provided the mandated 24 hours to petition Israel’s High Court of Justice with objections.
The 24-hour grace period for petition filing won’t conclude until late on Sunday evening, and so it would appear that the ceasefire will not come into force until Monday.
Israeli Opposition Leader Urges Netanyahu Not To Back Out Of Ceasefire Deal
Meanwhile, Israeli centrist opposition leader, Yair Lapid called Benjamin Netanyahu not to back out of the ceasefire deal, reiterating his commitment to supporting the decision while the prime minister faces opposition from far-right allies that risks collapsing his government.
“I say to Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t be afraid or intimidated, you will get every safety net you need to make the hostage deal.
“This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had.”
Yair Lapid
Netanyahu has long faced international and domestic pressure to reach a deal to free the hostages and end the war in Gaza.
The looming return of US President-elect Donald Trump to power has only added urgency for the Israeli leader to finally get the deal done.
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