JUST IN — Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. The agreement is to come into effect on Sunday. Follow DW for more.

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The Israeli government has given its approval for a ceasefire agreement. The complete Israeli Cabinet still needs to ratify the deal in order for it to go into effect on Sunday as scheduled.

Here are the latest updates from Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the broader Middle East on January 17th.

The Israeli Cabinet has approved a ceasefire and a hostage release agreement.

The entire Israeli government supported the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement following a prolonged period of deliberations.

This was considered the last major step needed for the agreement to take effect on Sunday.

The deal's measures include:

A total six-week ceasefire will go into effect on Sunday. The first three out of 33 hostages to be freed as part of the agreement will be turned over to Israeli authorities on the same day. Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for each Israeli civilian being held hostage. The Israeli military will pull its troops out of Gaza's populated areas and allow 600 aid trucks to enter the Palestinian territory daily.

Israeli Education and Foreign Ministers Express Support for Deal

As the Israeli government votes on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Education Minister Yoav Kisch posted on X that he would approve it, although he described the price as "extremely high."

Honestly, it's a difficult decision - the cost of making this deal is extremely high, but we genuinely feel a deep sense of moral responsibility to bring our brothers and sisters back home.

"It's essential for me to clarify — our objective has not shifted, regardless of the timeline — rescuing all of our hostages, dismantling the Hamas regime, and ensuring Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel," he noted.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he voted in favor of the deal during a Security Cabinet meeting and plans to do the same at the full Cabinet meeting.

ought to hold.

She expressed a more optimistic view of the initial stage of the deal, where Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli hostages, which includes adults over 50 years old, as well as all women, including both military personnel and civilians, and children.

She said the first rescue attempt "definitely will succeed." "It may not be an easy success, but I believe that the pressure will be tremendous to secure the release of the 33 hostages, both domestically in Israel and from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump."

On the next stages, Bar-Yaacov expressed less optimism, but still maintained a glimmer of hope.

I'm tentatively optimistic about phases two and three. It will likely take a tremendous amount of pressure, more than we've experienced so far, to get a deal signed by President Trump. I'm cautiously hopeful, but extremely cautious. I believe there will be numerous opportunities for complications and I anticipate problems arising on many fronts, even in the initial stage.

The numbers to support this, according to Eggert, came from polls conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute - 58% of Israelis said they approve of the deal as is, and 12% said they would like an option to exempt themselves from the deal, with the possibility that Israel could continue its military campaign against Hamas.

When looking at the numbers, 70% of people support the deal, and Eggert commented, "it's not a surprise" since pictures of hostages taken by Hamas, and whose freedom would be part of the deal, are being widely shown across the country.

Israeli president supports the agreement, emphasizing that every hostage should be allowed to go back home.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised the Security Cabinet's decision to approve the hostage and ceasefire deal, saying there is "no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli duty. We must bring all of our hostages back home."

Herzog said he expected the 33-member Israeli Cabinet, which is currently in session to discuss the agreement, to approve it as well.

My holding on to no illusions means that this agreement will bring immense challenges and very difficult times, which we will have to endure and face together.

"With all my heart, I'm thinking of the families of the hostages, especially those who know that their loved ones may not be coming home for now. We have to bring everyone back. Everyone, without exception. This isn't over until we succeed," he wrote.

They object to commemorations when Palestinian prisoners are set free

Israel's prison service stated that steps were being taken to ensure "public displays of joy" would not be shown when Palestinian prisoners were released as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which is still awaiting approval by the Israeli government.

According to the AFP news agency, preparations are underway to release Palestinian prisoners as part of an exchange for Israeli hostages, according to a statement from the prison service.

The prison service stated that two correctional facilities, one near Jerusalem and another near the southern city of Ashkelon, have begun preparing for the releases by assembling the prisoners who will be let go.

"The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Major General Kobi Yakobi, ordered that... to stop people in Ashkelon and other areas of Israel from publicly celebrating, buses from the 'Shikma' Prison will not be escorted by buses operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross," the statement said.

"Special units" from the prison system will handle transportation.

Jakobi reported that those scheduled to be released were instructed not to "express joy within Israel."

Death toll in Gaza increases to 46,876 according to the Health Ministry.

The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, terror attacks is over 46,876, with most being women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.

According to a recent statement from a government ministry, at least 88 fatalities occurred within the past 24 hours. The damage also included 110,642 reported injuries since the conflict escalated.

The ministry does not make a distinction between civilians and combatants, but various humanitarian organizations and the UN consider the reported casualty numbers to be generally reliable.

Approximately half of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza are children, and the United Nations reports that the majority of the civilians who have been killed are women and children.

Israel launched its operation in Gaza in response to Hamas' 2023 attacks in southern Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 fatalities.

The Israeli Security Cabinet has given its approval to a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli Security Cabinet has endorsed the approval of the ceasefires and hostage release agreement with Hamas.

This comes ahead of a full cabinet meeting scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. central time, this Friday afternoon.

Once the cabinet has ratified the agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that it would then come into effect on Sunday.

The German government urges the ceasefire to be observed.

The German government has urged Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to fully comply with a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

"We urge all parties to take every necessary step to ensure that this agreement can now be carried out," a State Department spokesperson said.

"It's crucial that the first steps are taken effectively, and that everyone accountable stays on course from there," she added.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the agreement as a "major breakthrough" on Thursday but noted that many challenges are still pending.

"People yearning for an end to this conflict," UNICEF representative states.

A representative has said to that, despite reports about the ceasefire deal being welcomed with joy in Gaza, many people in the Palestinian camp are still skeptical that a peace agreement will be established soon.

It really doesn't feel or sound like there's a ceasefire here in southern Gaza and Al-Mawasi right now," said Rosalia Bollen. "This morning I woke up to the loud hum of drones flying overhead, which is just as intense as before.

Bollen stated that two nights ago news of the deal was met with tremendous joy, just an outpouring of elation and celebration.

"People are yearning for the war to end so they can return home and see what's been left behind. When I talk to kids, they tell me they're eager to sleep in their own beds. They want to see their bedrooms, to see what's been left. Everyone is extremely desperate and holding onto hope," Bollen said.

She emphasized that the violence persisted and had resulted in the loss of at least 20 young lives, many of those being children.

Bollen also pointed out the severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Children are freezing. They're walking around in their summer clothes, without proper clothing. Their temporary shelters aren't keeping them warm and dry. They live in makeshift tents. They haven't had a decent meal in over a year. Families are surviving on canned goods and flour. Medical care has been severely impacted. Children have been out of school for almost two years. The needs are extremely high.

Hostages scheduled for release on Sunday if a deal is finalized, according to Netanyahu's office.

Several hostages taken by Palestinian militant groups affiliated with Hamas during the deadly attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, may be released on Sunday if an agreement between Israel and Hamas is finalized and approved by the Israeli government, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.

The hostage release is contingent on the approval of the Security Cabinet and the government, and once the agreement is in place, the hostages' release will be carried out as previously planned, likely on Sunday.

The first stage of the agreement should involve the release of 33 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

The French news agency AFP quoted two sources close to Hamas as saying that the first group of released hostages will be three Israeli women soldiers.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that French-Israeli citizens Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi are among the first 33 hostages to be released.

A source stated that the hostages would be initially taken to Egypt, and then transferred to Israel.

Australian authorities investigate anti-Semitic hate crimes in Sydney

Australian authorities are looking into a series of what they term as antisemitic "hate crimes" in an affluent neighborhood on the eastern part of Sydney.

Two cars were set on fire and other vehicles were vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti outside the former home of a prominent Jewish community leader in Dover Heights on Friday.

A home formerly owned by prominent Jewish Australian advocate Alex Ryvchin was also vandalized with red paint. Investigators are looking into whether the incident was directed at him.

"We will track you down, we will locate you, and we will place you behind bars," New South Wales state police minister Yasmin Catley stated.

"What we are witnessing on our streets is completely unlike anything that should be happening here," she said.

Last week, two synagogues in Sydney were vandalized with Nazi symbols, and in December, arsonists intentionally set a synagogue in Melbourne on fire.

The Australian government has established a federal task force to combat antisemitism.

What does it take to rebuild Gaza?

G7 nations welcome a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

World leaders from the Group of Seven have said that the Gaza ceasefire is a significant breakthrough, and they highlighted the "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in the region.

The G7 called on "all parties to engage constructively" in the next stages of talks so that the ceasefire can be fully implemented and hostilities can come to a permanent end.

The G7 also reaffirmed its support for defending Israel against security threats, urging "Iran and its proxies to refrain from any further attacks against Israel."

In addition, the statement called on "all parties" to "allow the safe, rapid, and unobstructed passage of humanitarian aid and ensure the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers" in the Gaza Strip.

The ceasefire agreement is still pending approval from Israel's Security Council.

The G7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the US along with the European Union, is a political and economic meeting of the seven leading economies in the world.

What would result if the ceasefire agreement is reached?

A ceasefire deal was finalized and announced on Wednesday, following negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. According to the agreement, a six-week ceasefire is set to take effect on Sunday.

The initial stage involves the release of 33 Israeli hostages who were taken in Gaza following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks that occurred on October 7 of last year. In exchange, Israel would be releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners being held in its prisons. Additionally, Israel would be withdrawing from Gaza's densely populated areas, enabling Palestinians to return to their homes.

Humanitarian aid routes currently blocked would be opened up to humanitarian aid groups entering the Gaza Strip.

A deal on how to move forward after the first six-week period is still out of reach. Both sides must come to an agreement on continuing the ceasefire, pushing back Israeli forces from Gaza, and exchanging additional hostages and prisoners.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Islamist groups attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking more than 250 as hostages. It is estimated that nearly 250 of the hostages are still being held in the severely damaged Gaza Strip, but the fate of some is uncertain, after a devastating conflict that has lasted over 15 months.

According to local health authorities in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, more than 46,700 Palestinians have been killed in the war, with the UN verifying the accuracy of these numbers.