Israel says Gaza ceasefire to start within 24 hours from approval

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli government said Thursday that a Gaza ceasefire agreement will take effect within 24 hours of being approved.

Government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told a press conference that Israel’s Security Cabinet will convene this evening to vote on the deal, followed by a meeting of the full government.

“Within 24 hours of the Cabinet meeting, the ceasefire in Gaza will begin,” she said, without mentioning a specific time for its implementation.

“The Israeli army will redeploy to the yellow line as outlined in the distributed maps, and after this 24-hour period, a 72-hour window will begin during which all of our hostages will be released and returned to Israel.”

She stated that once the Israeli army withdraws to the yellow line in accordance with the agreement, it will remain in control of approximately 53% of the Gaza Strip’s territory.

The yellow line refers to the first withdrawal line stipulated in US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.

“The first phase is very clear,” she continued. “All of our hostages, both the living and the dead, will be released after 72 hours — meaning Israel is preparing to receive them on Monday.”