Blinken fully expects hostage and ceasefire deal to go into effect on Sunday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “confident” and “fully” expects that the ceasefire and hostage deal will go into effect on Sunday, despite a delay of a vote in Israel on the agreement.

“Look, it’s not exactly surprising that in a process, in a negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end. We’re tying up that loose end as we speak,” Blinken said at a press conference Thursday.

“I’ve been on the phone in one way or another all morning with (Biden’s Middle East negotiator) Brett McGurk, with our Qatari friends, and I’m very confident that this is moving forward and we’ll see the start of implementation of the agreement on Sunday,” Blinken said.

Israel on Thursday morning delayed a cabinet vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, blaming Hamas for reneging on parts of the agreement.

Blinken interrupted by protesters over Gaza policy at final State Department press conference

_{A protester is removed from Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s press conference on Thursday.}

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s final press conference at the State Department was interrupted by two protesters, who were escorted out of the briefing room after protesting US support for Israeli “genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.

“I’m happy to address questions when we get a chance, thank you,” said Blinken as the first protestor continued to shout about the US sending weapons to Israel.

Other members of the press could be heard encouraging Blinken to continue with his remarks despite the interruption.

The man was seated toward the back and stood up, recording his interaction as he yelled at Blinken before being escorted out by members of Blinken’s press team.

Blinken was again interrupted multiple times by an independent journalist who was also escorted from the room after yelling about US support for Israel.

“Please sir, respect the process. We’ll have an opportunity to take questions in a few minutes,” said Blinken as the second protestor was escorted out of the room after calling Blinken a “criminal.”

Blinken maintained he would be taking questions later and did so a few minutes after the interruptions.

Israeli cabinet vote on ceasefire-hostage agreement will take place Friday, Israeli official says

The Israeli cabinet is scheduled to convene Friday morning to approve the ceasefire and hostage release deal, an Israeli official said.

The cabinet meeting will come a day later than it was initially scheduled to take place, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that last-minute hurdles were still being resolved at the negotiating table in Doha.

The decision to convene the cabinet on Friday indicates that those outstanding issues have been resolved. The prime minister’s office previously indicated that the cabinet would only convene once those issues were resolved.

Main events from Januari 16th

• Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to vote on the proposed ceasefire agreement with Hamas after Prime Minister Netanyahu called off the vote on Thursday.
• Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign from Netanyahu’s government if it ratifies the deal, describing it as “reckless” and saying it will “erase the achievements of the war”.
• Other partners in Netanyahu’s coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, have also threatened to resign without assurances on resuming the war.
• Israel has intensified its military operations before the ceasefire is set to take effect on Sunday, launching repeated attacks on Gaza City, where dozens of people were killed on Thursday.
• In total, 87 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since Wednesday’s truce announcement, including at least 21 Palestinian children and 25 women.

Israel’s Netanyahu confirms ceasefire deal reached: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a Gaza ceasefire and captives deal has been reached, The Associated Press news agency reports.

The announcement on Friday came a day after Netanyahu’s office said there were last-minute snags in talks to free captives in return for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Netanyahu said he will convene his security cabinet later on Friday and then the government to approve the ceasefire agreement.

 
Netanyahu confirms ceasefire deal reached: Here’s what comes next

As we have been reporting, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially confirmed that a Gaza ceasefire and captives deal has been reached with Hamas.

As a first step, Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet for a vote on the deal later today. This was originally slated for Thursday, but Netanyahu delayed it, accusing Hamas of stalling on a few minor issues.

Israeli analysts suggest, however, that the real issue is internal rifts among far-right members of his government who oppose the deal.

The Times of Israel also reports that there are further steps that need to be taken before the ceasefire deal – which is expected to start on Sunday – will officially come into force:

International community must compel Israel to abide by Gaza ceasefire: Al-Haq

Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq has called on the international community to ensure that Israel complies with the ceasefire agreement to end fighting in Gaza that was announced on Thursday.

In a lengthy statement, Al-Haq said that Israel has “given no indication that it will ever abide by the fundamentals of international law nor respect the human rights of Palestinians”. Therefore, it is imperative that the international community take action.

The rights organisation said the international community must compel respect for the ceasefire and international law by imposing an arms embargo and economic sanctions on Israel.

Forensic experts, international media, international humanitarian organisations and foreign diplomatic missions must also be given access to Gaza, Al-Haq said.

The international community must “use all means at their disposal to force Israel to comply with international law by dismantling its settler colonial apartheid regime, guaranteeing the right of return of refugees, and ceasing the closure of the Gaza Strip”, it said.

Israeli government has ‘no incentive’ to see ceasefire deal through – Marwan Bishara

Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara says that, in contrast to the Israeli government, Hamas has compelling reasons to support the continuation of the ceasefire past the first phase.

Bishara says Hamas has an interest in progressing to phases two and three of the deal, which could potentially involve discussions on Gaza’s reconstruction and the future of a Palestinian state.

Critically, Israel has insisted it will give no written guarantees ruling out a resumption of its attacks on Gaza once the first phase is complete and its civilian captives returned.


Biden says Netanyahu needs to ‘accommodate legitimate concerns’ of Palestinians

The outgoing US president said that his “friend” Netanyahu “has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns” of Palestinians for Israel’s long-term stability.

“The idea that Israel is going to be able to sustain itself for the long term without accommodating the Palestinian question … It’s not going to happen,” Biden told MSNBC.

“And I kept reminding my friend, and he is a friend, although we don’t agree a whole lot lately, Bibi Netanyahu, that he has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns of a large group of people called Palestinians, who have no place to live independently,” he said.

‘You should be ashamed of yourself’: Israeli captive families to ADL chief

The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza have lashed the head of a US-based organisation that campaigns against anti-Semitism for a failure to actively push for a ceasefire deal.

The online exchange took place when Jonathan Greenblatt, a US businessman and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), sought to promote an interview he participated in following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement on Thursday.

Speaking through the official social media account for Israeli captives, the families responded to the interview by accusing Greenblatt of failing to confront Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in support of a ceasefire.

“You should have called out and gotten tough on Netanyahu months ago like we asked you,” the group said. “Still now you can’t do it.” “[Donald Trump] did more to get this deal done than you ever have,” the group said. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

‘Israel is frustrated’ at inability to secure victory in Gaza: Analyst

Menachem Klein, senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, said Israel’s government and its military are still hoping for a victory in Gaza, but they are unable to achieve it.

“Israel – especially the army and the government – is looking for the victory. And they cannot achieve it,” Klein told Al Jazeera. “There is a huge gap between the war goals that Israel put forward and stuck to all along the war, and the agreement reached with Hamas,” Klein said.

“Israel is not winning the war and is trying to find, you know, some achievements – according to Israeli definitions, of course – during the minutes, the last days of this round of the war. That’s it. Israel is frustrated,” he said.

Klein told how right-wing activists have hung banners in Jerusalem that declare “this is not victory” – a message to Netanyahu and his declarations over the past 15 months of war on Gaza that “we will not stop till victory.”

Israeli media publishes names of 33 captives to be released

The captives in the list will be freed in the first stage of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to several national media reports.

“The list is not in order of release,” The Times of Israel newspaper said.

Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth said: “The list is actually the same list that Hamas approved at the beginning of the month, and is based on the list that Israel submitted a few months ago.”

Israeli captives’ forum calls for protests in Tel Aviv

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of Israeli captives in Gaza, has said on X that the demonstration will take place at the so-called Hostages Square on Saturday night.

The statement by the organisation appealed to the demonstrators to “call out together: We are here until the last hostage returns!

“An entire nation waits to see all hostages return home,” it said, adding: “The current agreement must end only with the return of all hostages, with a predetermined manner and timeline.”

The statement also announced that dozens of other rallies will be held across the country.

‘This agreement must be followed through to the end’: Israeli captive’s mother

Einav Zangauker, the mother of 24-year-old Israeli captive Matan Zangauker, was among a group of captives’ relatives who rallied this morning to call on the government to fully implement the ceasefire deal.

“For 469 days, our loved ones have been abandoned in captivity, and now, finally, there’s hope,” said Zangauker in comments carried by Israel’s Arutz Sheva news site. “This agreement must be followed through to the end, to bring everyone home and end the war,” she added.

“Ending the war, returning everyone, and returning to normalcy is in Israel’s interest! This will be the beginning of the healing and rehabilitation process that the country so desperately needs.”

Israel releases names of 95 Palestinians to be freed on Sunday as part of Gaza deal

Israel’s Justice Ministry has released the names of 95 Palestinians slated to be released on Sunday, in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal. The list includes women and young men up to 25 years old.

Khalida Jarrar, a prominent leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (parliament), is on the list. The list also includes journalist Bushra al-Tawil, who was released in a previous prisoner swap in 2011 between Hamas and Israel.

She is the daughter of senior Hamas leader Jamal al-Taweel, who served as mayor of the West Bank city of el-Bireh.

Dalal al-Arouri is also expected to be released. She is the sister of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas who was assassinated by Israel in January last year in Beirut, Lebanon.

How long until Israel puts them back in administrative detention though....

‘Decision was not easy’: Israel’s culture minister to vote for ceasefire

In a post on X, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar says he will vote “with a heavy heart … to bring our brothers and sisters home”.

“The decision was not easy, and I understand the concerns of our colleagues who oppose the deal,” Zohar said.

“After studying the details of the agreement, I became convinced that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump upheld the fundamental principles critical to Israel’s security, and much remains hidden from view.”

He added: “Anyone who thinks this deal marks the end and that the final word has been spoken is mistaken. As the prime minister said, the government of Israel is committed to achieving the war’s objectives, including the dismantling of Hamas’s regime – no matter how long it takes.”

Yeah no doubt Israel put something in there the same way they're approaching the Lebanon 'ceasefire'...

Qatar hopes Gaza ‘tragedy will end’: Top diplomat

In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, expressed his hope that the ceasefire deal will be “fully implemented and that the tragedy will end”.

He stressed the need to mobilise international support for Gaza and establish mechanisms to support affected families.

He said that the last few days of negotiations were crucial and made a significant difference, noting that the joint work of the two US administrations (outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump) was decisive in reaching the agreement.

Here are the highlights of the interview:

Cairo hosts ‘technical’ talks on Gaza ceasefire implementation: Report

Citing an informed Egyptian source, Al-Qahera News, a state-affiliated news channel, reports that technical meetings started in Cairo today “to put mechanisms in place for implementing the ceasefire agreement in Gaza with the participation of Egyptian, Qatari, US and Israeli teams”.

During the talks, negotiators agreed on facilitating the entry of 600 aid trucks per day into the Gaza Strip as per the truce, the source said.

Aid trucks have been waiting on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza, and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has called for the rapid, safe and effective distribution of humanitarian aid.

Gaza ceasefire a ‘necessary respite’ but just a first step: MSF

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says an imminent ceasefire is a “necessary respite” for the people of Gaza but says the deal “comes tragically late – after immense suffering and countless lives lost”.

In a statement posted on social media, the medical charity group said the ceasefire needs to be “more than a temporary one” to allow people to “rebuild their lives, restore their dignity and grieve for those who were killed and all they have lost”.

“The Israeli bombing must stop and a massive increase in humanitarian aid is urgently needed,” MSF said.

“It is only the first step in addressing the massive humanitarian, psychological and medical needs in Gaza. We urge all parties to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people throughout the Strip now,” it said.

What aid Israel will allow into Gaza remains unclear: NRC

Shaina Low, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) communications adviser in Palestine, has told Al Jazeera that news of the planned ceasefire has been met with mixed emotions by the NGO’s staff in Gaza.

“There is a mix of excitement [and] hope but also fear because of the … intensified bombardment as we’ve seen over the last couple of days since the ceasefire was announced”, she said.

“While we are hopeful that this ceasefire agreement will come into effect over the weekend … we know that the challenges will continue, nonetheless, in terms of what people are facing and what we need to do in order to help support them,” she added.

Low said staff at the NRC knew a ceasefire would happen at some point, but there have been “so many unknowns” in terms of what would be allowed to enter the Palestinian enclave, so they have had to “scenario plan”.

The NRC has 48 trucks of supplies in Egypt, waiting to cross into Gaza, and lots more aid in warehouses waiting to be unloaded, Low said. She noted that at this stage, it remains unclear what will be allowed by Israel to enter the Gaza Strip.