Israeli security cabinet approves long-awaited cease-fire deal with Hamas

The Israeli security cabinet has officially approved the long-awaited cease-fire deal with Hamas, putting a pause to the fighting in Gaza and allowing for the release of dozens of hostages held captive by the terrorist group for 15 months.The 11 voting members of the security cabinet approved the deal with a simple majority vote, the Prime Minister’s Office said.The full, 33-member Israeli cabinet will meet to approve the agreement at 3:30 p.m.local time (8:30 a.m.

ET).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet and the Israeli government accepted the peace agreement after negotiators for the Jewish state and Hamas signed off on the deal.The approval was slightly delayed following what Israeli officials called a “last-minute crisis” Thursday involving government infighting and disagreements between Israel and Hamas over some of the plan’s details.The cease-fire, which could happen in three phases, was first announced Wednesday by the US and Qatar, which oversaw the negotiations.Phase one, which starts Sunday, is the most detailed and was said to include:Two American hostages, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Keith Siegel, are expected to be released in the first phase of the cease-fire, US officials said.Another American citizen, Edan Alexander, who is also an Israeli soldier, will be released at a later date.Before the deal was approved, Netanyahu had claimed that Hamas was backtracking on an earlier understanding about the prisoner release in the cease-fire deal, according to the Associated Press.The prime minister reportedly argued that Israel should have the ability to veto the release of certain Palestinian prisoners, of whom they hold hundreds.Netanyahu has also faced the wrath of some leaders in his coalition, including hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened to pull out of the government if the deal went through. Phase two of the agreement starts 16 days after the start of the cease-fire — and many details presented s...