Government votes to greenlight the first phase of a landmark deal — hostages’ return secured by battlefield pressure; Israel stays vigilant.
In a decisive Cabinet session Thursday, ministers convened to vote on the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that paves the way for the return of hostages — a development the Prime Minister’s Office framed as the fruition of sustained military pressure and careful diplomacy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the operation’s name: Shavim L’Gvulam (Returning to their Border) — invoking Jeremiah 31:16 and casting the hostage returns in both national and historical terms. Today’s votes focus solely on the first phase: approving the release of security prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages. Other components of the broader plan will be evaluated separately at a later stage.
Following expected government approval, the IDF will carry out a coordinated withdrawal to a line agreed with Hamas — a pullback Israel says it will complete within 24 hours. While the official line has not been published, an Israeli source said it closely resembles the “yellow line” released over the weekend with tactical adjustments agreed upon by Israeli planners. As part of the redeployment, the IDF will leave Gaza City, which it entered during Operation Gideon’s Chariot 2, while retaining control over 53% of the Gaza Strip.
The timetable in the agreement establishes a 72-hour countdown after the withdrawal is complete. During that window Hamas must hand over hostages without public ceremonies; current estimates put surviving hostages’ release on Sunday and the return of the deceased on Monday. President Trump is scheduled to land in Israel on Sunday and deliver an address to the Knesset, a high-profile diplomatic moment tied to the deal’s implementation.
The prisoner-release component of the first phase is substantial and tightly defined: 250 security prisoners, 1,700 Gaza residents arrested after October 7 who were not involved in that attack, and 22 minors under 18 will be freed; in addition 360 bodies of terrorists will be returned. The decision makes clear that prisoners convicted of murder, manufacturing weapons used in murders, or directly orchestrating deadly attacks will be sent to Gaza or abroad and immediately barred from entering Israel or Judea and Samaria.
Officials emphasized that today’s cabinet decision is the opening chapter — a political outcome born of military achievement but paired with operational caution. Israel has conditioned the concessions on strict implementation and retains the right to respond if the agreement is violated. As leaders pressed their case in the cabinet room, the message to the public and the troops was resolute: the return of hostages is a moment of national relief and gratitude — but vigilance, readiness, and the commitment to secure the state remain paramount.
Tags: HostageReturn, ShavimLGvulam, GazaCeasefire, IsraeliCabinet, IDFOperations
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