Israel's cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal

The vote paves the way for exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners to begin on Sunday.

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The decision came after hours of discussions that continued late into the night. Two far-right ministers voted against the deal.

The security cabinet earlier recommended ratifying the agreement, saying it "supports the achievement of the objectives of the war", according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

The terms of the agreement will officially come into force at 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Sunday, Qatari mediators announced.

Under the deal, 33 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza after 15 months of conflict will be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails during the first phase lasting six weeks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg44dkz551o

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