Spanish
The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will come into effect once the Israeli government approves the agreement reached this morning between Israel and Hamas in Egypt in the cabinet this Thursday afternoon, according to a government source informed EFE.
This way, the agreement would begin to take effect once it has the green light from the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, whose ministers are scheduled to meet in Jerusalem at 6:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. GMT).
An hour before that meeting, at 5:00 p.m. local time, the Israeli Security Cabinet will meet to approve the plan, a body made up of key ministers in defense, security, foreign affairs and justice and which decides on the steps to be taken in the offensive in Gaza.
According to the source, the 72-hour deadline for the release of the approximately 20 remaining live Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip will begin to count from the approval of the Israeli government, which is expected to occur on Sunday or Monday.
That agreement, which refers to a first phase of the plan and was announced by US President Donald Trump, will entail a ceasefire and the release of the 48 captives in Gaza, of whom Israeli authorities estimate that about 20 are still alive.
Israel and Hamas still have to agree on the list of who will make up the 1,950 Palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange for the hostages.
About 250 will be prisoners sentenced to life in prison, while the other 1,700 will be people detained in the Gaza Strip, a member of Hamas's political bureau specified to EFE.
Before the release of the hostages in Gaza, the Israeli Army must withdraw to the "yellow line" stipulated by the US, marking the first phase of its withdrawal from the enclave.
This line will allow Israeli troops to remain in Gaza within a perimeter of a depth of around 1.5 kilometers in its narrowest zone and 6.5 in the widest, guaranteeing Israel's military presence in, still, about half of the enclave.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, this first withdrawal will take place so that the Gazan militias, led by Hamas, can locate all the hostages.
Following the signing, Hamas stated in a communiqué that, "after responsible and serious negotiations" regarding the proposal of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, the parties reached an agreement that implies the "end to the war of extermination" against the Palestinian people and "the withdrawal of the occupation of the Gaza Strip".
