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Israel was waiting on tenterhooks for the long-awaited release of hostages from Gaza after a tense weekend in which political chaos inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition risked undoing a ceasefire deal agreed with Hamas.
With the agreement secured on the Israeli side, the ceasefire was expected to come into effect on Sunday at 8.30am Israel time, according to a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.
The first Israeli hostages are expected to be exchanged for Palestinian detainees no earlier than 4pm. Three female hostages will be released first but so far their identities have not been passed to Israel.
A total of 33 Israeli captives will be released over the 42-day first phase of the deal, in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners, some of who are serving lifelong terror sentences. Others include 1,167 Palestinians detained by the Israeli military in Gaza throughout the war, who did not participate in the October 7 attacks.
By Saturday evening, concern was growing that the identities of the first hostages to be released had not been shared by Hamas. Mr Netanyahu threatened to not continue with the deal if the militant group did not release the details, an apparent break of a stipulation in the deal that parties have 24 hours notice ahead of an exchange.
“We will not move forward with the outline until we receive the list of the abductees to be released, as agreed upon,” Mr Netanyahu said. “Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility is on Hamas.”
In a later address, Mr Netanyahu characterised the first stage of the three-phase agreement as a “temporary ceasefire,” a description that critics say goes against the stated purpose of the deal to fully end the Gaza War.
He said that US president-elect Donald Trump “emphasised that the first phase of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire” during a phone call on Wednesday.
“As we move forward with the next phases of the agreement, we are retaining significant assets in order to return all of our hostages, and to meet all of the war’s objectives,” Mr Netanyahu added.
“Both President Trump and President Biden have given their full backing to Israel’s right to return to fighting, if Israel concludes that negotiations on phase two are futile. I greatly appreciate that. If we have to return to fighting, we will do so in new ways, and we will do so with great force.”
Israel’s government finally approved the agreement early on Saturday after an hours-long meeting and security assessment that stretched well into Shabbat. A number of religious lawmakers in Mr Netanyahu’s ultranationalist coalition broke the mandatory Jewish day of rest on the grounds that agreeing the deal was a matter of life and death, while a number of ultra-Orthodox members voted in absentia by leaving paper ballots in favour of the deal before sunset.
There were fears that far-right lawmakers could pressure Mr Netanyahu to abandon the deal, by threatening to leave his government. A number of coalition members, including some from the prime minister’s own Likud party oppose the deal, for reasons including that the release of Palestinian detainees endangers national security, that Hamas has not been destroyed in Gaza and that the deal puts an end to the dream of resettling the strip.
Likud ministers David Amsalem and Amichai Chikli were among eight cabinet members who voted against the deal, along with members of parties headed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, also of Likud, did not attend.
Israel has also set about contacting the relatives of people killed by soon-to-be released Palestinians. A Ministry of Defence statement read: “Personal notices will be delivered to families of terror attack victims, informing them that the terrorists involved in the murder of their loved ones are expected to be released as part of the hostage return framework approved by the government.”
After winning the US election, Mr Trump pledged that there would be “all hell to pay” if the Gaza war did not conclude by the time he enters office. His inauguration is on Monday. “Just keep doing what you have to do. You have to have – this has to end. We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done,” Mr Trump said he had told Mr Netanyahu.
Despite last-minute tension, preparation to receive hostages continued. Israel’s military said that it was preparing to receive hostages and provide “suitable physical and psychological support, with careful attention to every detail”, while specialist medical centres were set up to treat the captives. Medics expect the hostages to be in a far worse condition than those released in the only other deal during the war, in November 2023.
In Tel Aviv, a large clock at a protest site near Israel's defence headquarters was still counting the hours, minutes and seconds since the hostages were taken. Protests for their release have been held there regularly.
Hundreds gathered there on Saturday night, which was also the second birthday of the youngest hostage, Kfir Bibas.
“Today I tried to write a birthday message for his second birthday, for the second time, for a child who cannot celebrate, a child who isn't here, a child who might not even be alive. But no words came, only tears,” said Ofri Bibas, Kfir's aunt.
Events were also held abroad. At an event in Miami, Florida, former hostage Noa Argamani told the audience that “there is not a moment to spare” in bringing captives back.
“The progress in the past few days is a very important step, but the deal must go through in full, completely, in all of its stages. I know what it's like to be left behind, watching other hostages being released to their families,” she added.
Recent surveys show that most Israelis want the government to prioritise getting captives back over continuing the war. A poll aired on Saturday by the Kan public broadcaster revealed that 55 per cent of the public want the hostage deal to continue, while only 27 per cent want the war to resume after the first phase of the agreement. An earlier poll from outlet Maariv showed 73 per cent of Israelis in favour of a hostage deal.
