An Israeli cabinet meeting has been called for 6:00 PM on October 9th to finalize the ceasefire. The agreement was signed by the parties at 12:00 PM, while the cabinet meeting was scheduled for between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM on October 9th. However, some Israeli cabinet ministers, including Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, are not in favor of the agreement. Knesset Member Amichai Haliva also stated: “We could have defeated Hamas, but we chose not to.”
After approval: The withdrawal from Gaza will begin within 24 hours. After approval: The release of the hostages will begin within 72 hours. There will be no release ceremony; this clause was requested by Israel. There are also reportedly problems with the prisoner release list. There are 48 Israeli prisoners, 20 alive and 28 deceased. Approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be released, including 250 serving life sentences. 1,700 have been arrested since October 7. No members of the Qassam Nukhba forces who participated in the October 7 actions or the four “axes” will be released. After the initial withdrawal, Israel will retain control over approximately 53% of the Gaza Strip.
At the time of writing, the Israel Prison Service stated: “We have not yet received a list of the names and numbers of prisoners and detainees awaiting release.”
The Israeli government spokesperson confirmed that Marwan Barghouti will not be released under the prisoner exchange agreement. He confirmed that the ceasefire in Gaza will be implemented within 24 hours of today’s cabinet meeting.
Joy over the end of the conflict was visible in the streets of the Gaza Strip today, with numerous incidents occurring as residents returned before the ceasefire took effect. The Israeli press was concerned, with Yedioth Ahronoth citing military sources: “By the end of next week, Hamas will regain control over much of the Gaza Strip. The movement will be able to restore its strength and reorganize its ranks from the moment of the ceasefire.”
Among the open questions are those of the militias present in Gaza on Israel’s payroll: Israel Hayom: “The Israeli army rejects the Shin Bet’s proposal to evacuate members of the Abu Shabaab forces from Gaza to camps inside the occupied area for their protection after the end of the war.” The army responded to the proposal by saying: “We are an army, not an association for the care of loyal allies.” An IDF spokesperson added: “If all those who have worked with us want us to protect them, we will need a city called Tel Abu Shabab.”
Hamas, on the other hand, is already compiling a list of Tel Abu Shabab militants so they can be killed once Israel leaves Gaza. It should be remembered that this militia was tasked with managing and controlling humanitarian aid and has shot aid seekers on several occasions, in addition to hunting down Hamas militants.
In any case, the areas where militias collaborating with Israel are present remain under Israeli army control and Hamas cannot reach them. Hamas-affiliated accounts, “Quds Network”: “Dismantling the so-called ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ in the ‘Netzarim axis’ of the Gaza Strip.”
Revisions to the withdrawal maps in Trump’s plan include a broader military withdrawal from Khan Yunis and the southern Gaza Strip, at Hamas’s request.
The Israeli Army Radio Correspondent reports: “The order has been issued. Israeli army units participating in the war in Gaza have been ordered to prepare for a full withdrawal or a retreat to Gaza’s rear in the coming days.”
Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation: “Three military teams that fought in Gaza City have begun withdrawing from the city out of fear of clashes with residents who will attempt to return. Following the government’s approval of the agreement, Gaza City residents will be able to return starting tomorrow. Amendments to the withdrawal maps in Trump’s plan include a broader army withdrawal from Khan Yunis and the southern Gaza Strip, at Hamas’s request.” According to some Israeli news outlets: “The Israeli army is beginning to dismantle the military sites and positions it has established inside the Gaza Strip.”
Regarding the Hamas disarmament plan, it has reportedly been entrusted to Egypt. Source: Israeli media. Hamas has begun gathering some of the hostages in safe places to hand them over to the Red Cross. So far, Hamas has not received an official response regarding the lists of militants it has taken and whose release it has requested. Negotiations for the second phase will begin upon completion of the prisoner exchange. Regarding prisoners released by Israel, those serving life sentences who will be released under the agreement “will not return to Gaza or the West Bank, but will be deported abroad.”
The official execution of the exchange process is scheduled for Monday, supervised by (Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey). Israel will release Palestinian prisoners and hand over dozens of bodies of resistance fighters, including members of elite units. Crossings will be fully opened, and 400 trucks of humanitarian aid will begin arriving daily, increasing to 600 or more in the following days. Negotiations on the second phase of the agreement must begin immediately, to discuss completing the withdrawal and securing a permanent ceasefire.
Among the discontented: “The Israeli ‘Heroism Forum,’ which calls for the immediate destruction of Hamas upon the release of prisoners and seeks political support from the families of prisoners who are leading the ceasefire protests. The forum also calls for the assassination of Hamas leaders in Egypt.
On October 9, numerous vehicles entered Gaza carrying humanitarian aid for the population, brought from Egypt and paid for by Iran. Iran has expressed its support for the agreement.
The situation in the West Bank remains tense: settlers are targeting olive groves. Settlers are shooting and stealing olive harvests from Palestinian lands in Wadi Sa’ir, north of Hebron. And farmers are facing the situation with resilience and harvest. According to the Israeli army, a shipment of weapons from Iran destined for militants in the West Bank was foiled. Jewish sources reported: “A high-speed vehicle carried out a shooting operation toward the outpost of the “Or Nahman” settlement, near the “Shilo” settlement north of Ramallah, and the vehicle then withdrew.” A young man was shot by a settler in the town of Hawara, south of Nablus.
An Israeli security source: “The focus of operations will now shift to the West Bank.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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