🔗 Share this article

Israel's cabinet has officially endorsed a comprehensive truce agreement that includes the release of all remaining detainees held by the militant group in Gaza, marking a major development toward ending the devastating two-year war.

US Armed Forces Participation in Overseeing the Ceasefire

High-ranking authorities in Washington have stated that a US armed forces contingent of about 200 members will be deployed to the area to "oversee" the cessation of hostilities after both Israel and Hamas agreed to the first step of the Trump leadership's ceasefire initiative.

His responsibility will be to monitor, watch, make sure there are no breaches.

Swift Implementation Timeline

As per an Israel's spokesperson, the ceasefire should commence right away following government endorsement. The Israel's defense forces was given 24 hours to retreat its forces to an pre-determined position. Afterward, the detainees held in the Gaza Strip would be released within 72 hours, a cabinet representative stated.

Significant Developments

• The militant group's exiled Gaza leader Khalil Al-Hayya claimed he had secured guarantees from the US and other mediators that the war was over.
• The commander of the US armed forces' military headquarters, General a senior US military official, would initially have 200 people on the ground, a top US representative confirmed.
• From Egypt, Qatari, from Turkey and likely from the UAE military representatives would be embedded in the contingent, the American representative noted. A additional official emphasized that "American forces are intended to go into Gaza".
• Israeli strikes persisted in the time preceding the Israel's government's approval. Blasts were seen on Thursday in northern Gaza, and a airstrike on a structure in Gaza City killed at least two people and left more than 40 buried under wreckage, according to Palestinian rescue teams.
• No fewer than 11 fatally injured Gazan residents and another 49 who were hurt were admitted at hospitals over the past 24 hours, the Gaza Strip's Hamas-controlled health authority reported.
• Israeli forces was targeting targets that posed a threat to its troops as they relocate, said an Israel's military representative who talked on the basis of non-disclosure. The militant group blasted Israel over the airstrike, claiming that Netanyahu was attempting to "mix up the situation and complicate" initiatives by mediators to terminate the war.
• 20 Israel's hostages are still believed to be living in Gaza, while twenty-six are assumed deceased, and the fate of two is undetermined.
• The Trump government broader 20-point peace proposal includes many unresolved matters, such as if and how the militant organization will lay down arms. But both sides appeared nearer than they have been in an extended period to terminating the conflict, which was sparked by the militant group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 individuals were fatally injured and 251 abducted, prompting an Israel's response that has resulted in more than 67,000 Gazan residents dead and nearly 170,000 injured, as per the Gaza Strip's health authority.
• Israeli Defense Forces confirmed an Israeli soldier, a 26-year-old reserve soldier, was killed in a Hamas sniper assault in the Gaza capital on Thursday late in the day. This occurred after Israeli and militant negotiators signed a agreement in Egypt to ensure the liberation of the captives, but the ceasefire aspect of the deal had not yet come into effect.
• Israel's publication Haaretz has made public the details of Palestinian inmates it believes could be freed as part of the recent agreement. 250 Palestinian detainees who are undergoing life sentences are expected to be freed as part of the agreement, out of around 290 currently held in Israel's detention. 22 minors will also be liberated.

Global Feedback

There exist no intentions for British or EU military personnel to be in the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire deal, the UK's foreign secretary the British official said. "It is not our arrangement, there's no plans to do that," she commented on Friday morning.

The official added: "However there is an immediate initiative for the US to head what is effectively like a monitoring procedure to make sure that this takes place on the ground, to monitor the process with hostage liberation, and also guaranteeing that this primary phase is executed, delivering the relief in place, but they have also made very explicit that they expect the military personnel on the site to be provided by bordering countries, and that is something that we do expect to happen."

Cooper said she hopes the truce will be implemented "without delay". Based on the top diplomat, there are worldwide negotiations on an "international safety contingent" and the UK was continuing to contribute in other ways, including exploring obtaining commercial finance into Gaza.

Civilian Response

Israelis and Palestinians alike celebrated after the truce agreement was announced, while there was elation but also anxiety in the Gaza Strip amid concerns the recent deal could collapse.