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Israel's cabinet has publicly approved a detailed ceasefire agreement that includes the liberation of all remaining captives held by Hamas in Gaza, marking a major development toward concluding the damaging two-year war.

American Military Participation in Supervising the Ceasefire

High-ranking representatives in the White House have announced that a US military contingent of about 200 members will be deployed to the region to "monitor" the ceasefire after both Israeli authorities and Hamas agreed to the initial phase of the former President Trump leadership's conflict resolution initiative.

The role will be to supervise, observe, ensure there are no infractions.

Immediate Execution Schedule

As per an Israeli official, the ceasefire should commence right away following administration approval. The Israel's army was provided 24 hours to retreat its troops to an agreed-upon line. Afterward, the hostages held in the Gaza Strip would be released within 72 hours, a government official announced.

Significant Developments

• Hamas' exiled Gaza chief a senior Hamas official claimed he had received promises from the United States and other negotiating parties that the conflict was finished.
• The commander of the American armed forces' military headquarters, General Brad Cooper, would at first have 200 people on the location, a top American official stated.
• Egyptian, Qatari, from Turkey and likely from the UAE defense representatives would be embedded in the contingent, the US representative stated. A second representative stated that "American troops are scheduled to go into Gaza".
• Israeli airstrikes carried on in the time preceding the Israel's administration's decision. Blasts were seen on Thursday in northern Gaza, and a strike on a building in Gaza City claimed the lives of at least two people and resulted in more than 40 trapped under wreckage, based on Palestinian rescue teams.
• No fewer than 11 fatally injured Gazan residents and another 49 who were injured arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours, Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry stated.
• Israel was targeting targets that posed a danger to its forces as they relocate, commented an Israel's defense authority who talked on the basis of non-disclosure. The militant group blasted Israeli authorities over the attack, claiming that the Israeli Prime Minister was attempting to "rearrange the situation and disrupt" efforts by mediators to terminate the hostilities.
• Twenty Israeli hostages are still considered to be surviving in the Gaza Strip, while 26 are presumed deceased, and the status of two is unknown.
• Former President Trump administration broader 20-point ceasefire plan includes many unresolved questions, such as if and how Hamas will surrender weapons. But both factions appeared more proximate than they have been in months to ending the war, which was triggered by the militant group's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people were murdered and 251 captured, leading to an Israeli response that has left more than 67,000 Gazan residents killed and nearly 170,000 wounded, based on the Gaza Strip's medical department.
• The IDF announced an Israeli soldier, a 26-year-old reserve soldier, was killed in a militant marksman attack in Gaza City on the previous day afternoon. This happened after Israel's and Hamas delegates agreed to a arrangement in Cairo to secure the return of the detainees, though the ceasefire aspect of the agreement had not yet taken place.
• Israeli media source Haaretz has released the identities of Gazan inmates it believes could be freed as part of the recent agreement. 250 Palestinian detainees who are undergoing life sentences are expected to be freed as part of the agreement, out of approximately 290 presently held in Israel's prison. 22 young individuals will also be released.

Worldwide Response

There are no arrangements for British or European forces to be in the Gaza Strip after the truce agreement, the United Kingdom's foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said. "This is not our plan, there's no plans to do that," she stated on Friday morning.

She continued: "Nevertheless there is an immediate proposal for the United States to spearhead what is practically like a observation procedure to ensure that this occurs on the ground, to monitor the process with captive return, and also making sure that this first stage is executed, bringing the aid in position, but they have also made very explicit that they anticipate the military personnel on the location to be provided by bordering states, and that is something that we do anticipate to take place."

The official declared she anticipates the ceasefire will be implemented "immediately". According to the top diplomat, there are international discussions on an "international safety unit" and the UK was continuing to participate in other methods, including looking at securing commercial investment into Gaza.

Civilian Reaction

Israelis and Palestinians alike expressed joy after the truce arrangement was revealed, while there was happiness but also concern in the Gaza Strip amid worries the latest deal could collapse.