ISTANBUL

The Israeli government approved an agreement to end the war in Gaza and exchange prisoners with Palestinian factions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said early Friday.

The announcement came after the Cabinet held a meeting to vote on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement for the Gaza Strip.

"The government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, approved the agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip and return all hostages (Israeli prisoners in Gaza)," it said.

According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, the official approval means the ceasefire agreement will enter into immediate effect.

US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his plan for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.

The agreement came after four days of indirect negotiations between the two parties in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of delegations from Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar and under US supervision.

All ministers voted in favor of the agreement except five, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

KAN noted that all of the ministers who objected to the deal are from the Jewish Power and Religious Zionism parties led by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.

With the approval of the agreement, a ceasefire in Gaza will go into effect, with the Israeli army withdrawing to the “yellow line” within the next 24 hours. After that, Hamas will be required to release all living prisoners within 72 hours, according to KAN.

The government's approval also represents a green light for the Israeli army to begin withdrawing gradually from the Gaza Strip.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

Phase two of the plan calls for establishing a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force made up of Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas. It also stipulates Arab and Islamic funding for the new administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip with limited participation from the Palestinian Authority.

Arab and Muslim countries have welcomed the plan, but some officials have also said that many details in it need discussion and negotiations to be fully implemented.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.