Problems with Ceasefire Deal Overcome

Israel’s Security Cabinet met on Friday and approved the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, recommending that the full Cabinet also approves it. The full Cabinet was due to meet at 3:30 pm Israel time, and the meeting ran on past sunset into the Sabbath.

The first stage phase of the agreement should see the release of 33 hostages over a six-week period starting on Sunday 19th January. In return, Israel will release 1,000 or more Palestinian terrorists.

The ceasefire is planned to become effective at 12:15 pm on Sunday, with the first three hostages to be freed around 4 pm.

Also on Friday, a list of the 33 hostages who are due to be released in the first phase of the deal was published and it includes the Bibas family. However, it is not known who is alive and who is dead among those 33.

Israel will not publish the names of hostages expected to be released on any particular day until they are received by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), and their families have been notified.

In this 3-minute video posted on Thursday evening, Erez Soref, of the One For Israel ministry, explains the importance for Israelis of redeeming captives. He states his opinion that Israel is currently “a trauma-stricken nation,” and asks us all to pray for the nation at this extremely difficult time.