Netanyahu’s office confirms that Israel and Hamas have signed a ceasefire agreement
On January 17, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that an agreement was signed in Doha between the negotiating groups of Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. About this informs The Times of Israel.
The statement states that a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Security Issues is scheduled for January 17 to vote on this agreement. However, the prime minister’s representative said that the full government meeting will be held on Saturday evening, January 18. This is due to the need to give opponents of the deal 24 hours to file petitions with the Supreme Court, as many of them are religious and observe the Sabbath. A meeting on Friday afternoon would not allow sufficient time for this.
“While the security cabinet awaits the return of the Israeli negotiating team from Doha to hold a meeting, it is unclear why both the security cabinet and the full government cannot be convened before sundown on Friday.” – the message emphasizes.
Because of the adjournment to Saturday, the 24-hour period for petitions will not end until late Sunday. That means the deal will take effect later than planned, and the first three hostages who were supposed to be freed on Sunday will have to wait another day.
