Live blog: Full Israeli cabinet meets to vote on Gaza truce deal: PM office
Israel is set to vote on truce in Tel Aviv's genocidal war on Gaza — now in its 469th day — in which at least 46,876 Palestinians have been killed and 110,642+ wounded. In Lebanon, Israel has killed 4,068+ people since Oct. 2023.

The Israeli war cabinet has already recommended the approval of the ceasefire deal. / Photo: AA
Friday, January 17, 2025
1818 GMT — The full Israeli cabinet convened to vote on a Gaza ceasefire deal, the prime minister's office said, hours after the security cabinet approved it.
When asked, the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, Omar Dostri, confirmed that the meeting had begun.
The deal will now go to Israel's full cabinet for approval before Gaza ceasefire goes into effect. Ashraf Shannon has more from Khan Younis pic.twitter.com/KPZkFuglBq
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) January 17, 2025
More updates 👇
1826 GMT — EU stresses need for implementation of Gaza truce deal without delay
It is now time to implement the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal without any delay, an EU official said.
During her daily press briefing, Anitta Hipper, spokesperson of European Commission for Foreign Affairs, touched on the deal, agreed upon by Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.
Asked by Anadolu about remarks by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa regarding the eight-month delay to reach the deal, Hipper welcomed the Gaza truce and thanked mediators. It is now crucial that the agreement is fully implemented, all hostages are released and a permanent end to hostilities is achieved, Hipper said.
1716 GMT — Israel releases names of 95 Palestinians to be freed on Sunday as part of Gaza deal
Israel's Justice Ministry released the names of 95 Palestinians slated to be released on Sunday in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The list includes women and young men up to 25 years old.
Khalida Jarrar, a prominent leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council ( parliament), is on the list. The list also includes journalist Bushra Al-Taweel, who was released in a previous prisoner swap in 2011 between Hamas and Israel. She is the daughter of senior Hamas leader Jamal Al-Taweel who served as mayor of the occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh.
Among the women to be freed is also Dalal al-Arouri, sister of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of Hamas who was assassinated by Israel in January last year.
1621 GMT — Lebanon reports 4 more Israeli violations of ceasefire
Lebanese media reported four more Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement that took effect 52 days ago between Israel and Lebanon.
According to the National News Agency, the Israeli army blew up several homes in Meiss El-Jabal town of Marjayoun district in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli drones were detected flying at a low altitude over Beirut's southern suburb, the main stronghold of the Hezbollah group.
The news agency also reported that a Syrian national was arrested by the Israeli army while grazing a herd of cattle on the outskirts of the Rmeish town.
1553 GMT — Houthi announces hitting targets across Israel
The Yemeni Houthi group announced that it had struck targets in central and southern Israel as well as a US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
In a statement, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said its fighters "carried out three military operations against Israeli targets.
He noted that the group targeted the Eilat area in southern Israel with four cruise missiles, and in another military operation, it attacked "a vital target" in the Ashkelon area, southern Israel, with a combat drone.
In the third military operation, he added the group attacked the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area in central Israel with three combat drones. The Houthi spokesperson also said its fighters targeted for the seventh time the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
1548 GMT — Egypt hosts technical meeting on Gaza ceasefire implementation
Technical meetings began in Cairo to finalise mechanisms for implementing the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement, expected to take effect from Sunday.
Egyptian news channel Al Qahera News said representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Israel participated in the technical discussions, though further details were not disclosed.
1513 GMT — Despite truce deal, Israel kills 88 more Gazans as death toll nears 47,000
Despite a ceasefire agreement, Israeli attacks killed at least 88 more Palestinians in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 46,876, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.
A ministry statement added that some 110,642 others were wounded in the ongoing assault.
“Israeli forces killed 88 people and wounded 189 others in four massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
1450 GMT — Putin says hopes Gaza ceasefire leads to 'long-term stabilisation'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he hoped a ceasefire in Gaza would lead to a "long-term stabilisation" and called for efforts to secure a "comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict".
"We hope this will contribute to alleviating the humanitarian situation and to the long-term stabilisation of the sector," he added.
"At the same time, it is important not to weaken efforts for a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of international law," he said.
1449 GMT — Gaza ceasefire should end Israeli occupation in Palestine: S.Korean rights group
A South Korean civil rights group has said the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should lead to an end to the Israeli occupation in Palestine.
"We will keep a close eye on the implementation of the ceasefire deal and will stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people until there is a permanent ceasefire, until Israeli occupation forces completely withdraw from Gaza," said Urgent Action by South Korean Civil Society on X.
The civil rights group also said that the individuals and the countries involved in war had to be held accountable for their war crimes, stating that alongside other countries like the US, South Korea exported nearly 8.5 billion won ($5.8 million) worth of weapons to Israel between January 2024 to August 2024.
1402 GMT — Germany urges Israel, Hamas to aim for 'permanent ceasefire'
Germany called on Israel and Hamas to strive for a “permanent ceasefire” in Gaza following the announcement of a truce agreement.
"This moment is now crucial. We call on everyone involved (...) to take all steps so that this agreement can now be implemented," Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer told journalists in Berlin.
This is a step-by-step plan on the path "towards the possibility of a permanent ceasefire. It's about taking the first steps successfully and ensuring that everyone who bears responsibility stays on this path,” she added.
1400 GMT — Italian charities send 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza
Italian charities sent 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the country’s defence minister said.
As part of the Italian efforts to help Palestinian civilians affected by the war, the aid was collected by the National Catholic Charities Confederation, said Guido Crosetto, according to the state-run ANSA news agency. The aid has already departed from the northern port of Monfalcone, he added .
"Italy has once again demonstrated that it stands by those who suffer and will continue to do all it can to give hope to those who, like in Gaza, are experiencing very difficult times," Crosetto said.
1359 GMT — Netanyahu warns of return to war in Gaza if phase 2 of agreement fails
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would return to war in Gaza if the second phase of a prisoner swap and ceasefire agreement fails.
"We have received clear guarantees from Presidents Biden and Trump that if negotiations on phase two of the deal fail, and if Hamas does not accept our security demands, we will return to intense fighting with the support of the United States,” said Netanyahu during the cabinet meeting, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
1311 GMT — Israel's war cabinet approves Gaza truce deal: PM office
Israel’s security Cabinet recommended approval of a ceasefire that would pause the war on Gaza and release prisoners held by both sides.
The deal will now go to the full cabinet.
The prime minister’s office said that if a deal is passed, the ceasefire could start as soon as Sunday with the first prisoners released then.
1206 GMT — Israeli obstacles to Gaza ceasefire deal resolved — Hamas
The obstacles caused by Israel's failure to comply with the terms of an announced ceasefire agreement have been resolved through regional and international mediation efforts, Hamas said.
Hamas emphasised its pursuit of a national prisoner exchange deal involving all Palestinian factions and people.
It added: "The list of prisoners to be released in the first phase of the exchange, under the ceasefire agreement, will be published by the prisoners' office in stages according to the exchange procedures."
1141 GMT — UN urges end to Israel 'occupation', operations in south Lebanon
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an end to Israel's "continued occupation" and "military operations" in south Lebanon, after a November ceasefire to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
"The continued occupation by the Israel (military) inside the UNIFIL area operations and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory are violations of resolution 1701... They must stop," he told members of the UN peacekeeping force as he visited them, referring to the UN Security Council decision that ended a 2006 war between both sides.
1127 GMT — UN urges parties to do everything to prevent Gaza ceasefire deal from being derailed
The UN human rights office urged parties to do everything possible to prevent the ceasefire agreement in Gaza from being derailed amid "heavy bombardment" and killing of Palestinians.
"In the run-up to the ceasefire, we are seeing heavy bombardment, including last night, and we understand that the Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that 81 Palestinians have been killed just on the 15th and the 16th of January," Ravina Shamdasani said.
"We are calling on all parties to the conflict to do everything they can to implement in good faith the ceasefire agreement, which has been so hard-won, and to move towards finalising these two and phase three of this agreement as soon as possible," she urged.
1114 GMT — Targeted number of aid trucks entering Gaza 500-600 daily when ceasefire effective: WHO
Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza said the target is getting 500-600 aid trucks into Gaza per day once the ceasefire takes effect, adding that will be a huge increase of the 40 to 50 what we have seen over the last month.
He voiced hope for roots to be expanded so that good can be brought to the North and the South of Gaza with the opening of closed border points.
"It is critical that the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza are removed. We need rapid, unhindered, and safe access and expedited flow of aid into and across Gaza," he said.
1009 GMT — Israel cancels administrative detentions of illegal settlers over Gaza ceasefire deal
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that all administrative detention orders against illegal Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank would be cancelled.
In a statement, Katz explained that the decision to release detained settlers was made in light of the expected release of Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank under the upcoming prisoner exchange deal.
He said that the move was meant to "send a clear message supporting and encouraging settlement growth in the West Bank."
0947 GMT — Biden urges Netanyahu to avoid carpet-bombing Gaza
Outgoing US President Joe Biden said that some 15 months ago, he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid carpet-bombing civilians in Gaza.
"You can’t be carpet-bombing these communities," Biden told Netanyahu during a conversation shortly after the Gaza war started in October 202 3, according to the outgoing president.
In an interview with MSNBC late Thursday, Biden said that Netanyahu countered that during World War II, the US carpet-bombed Berlin and dropped a nuclear weapon.
"That’s why we came up with the UN," Biden recalled responding.
0922 GMT — Israeli Cabinet convenes to approve Gaza truce, captives release
The Israeli Security Cabinet began deliberations to approve a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner swap deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, according to Israeli media.
Once the Cabinet approves, the agreement will be forwarded to the government for further approval, though the date of the government meeting remains undecided, reported the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
The proposed agreement, designed to end the ongoing war on Gaza, includes an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails.
This meeting comes amid growing international pressure to secure a ceasefire and address the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
0850 GMT — Release of 1st batch of Israeli captives from Gaza set for Sunday afternoon
The release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza is scheduled to begin at 4 pm local time (1400GMT) on Sunday, Israeli Channel 12 reported.
Under the newly reached Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the hostage exchange process is set to begin with a 42-day first phase, during which 33 Israeli hostages will be released in seven batches. The first batch, including three hostages, is scheduled for Sunday.
The Israeli government has yet to confirm the exact start date for the exchange.
0815 GMT — Mideast cannot overcome instabilities if solution is only about security: French president
The Middle East cannot overcome instabilities if the solution is only about security, the French president said before heading to Lebanon.
“Everything that happened shows that only a political solution, based on the co-existence of two states, would allow to stabilise the region permanently,” Emmanuel Macron told the French-speaking Lebanese daily L’Orient-le-Jour for an interview published late Thursday.
0800 GMT — Israel kills over 100 Palestinians since truce deal announcement
Israeli air strikes have killed 101 Palestinians since the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, according to an official tally.
According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Palestinian Civil Defence service in Gaza, the latest attacks include 31 women and 27 children.
The fatalities came after the Wednesday announcement of a ceasefire agreement which is intended to take effect on Sunday.
Basal confirmed that 82 of the total casualties were killed in Gaza's northern governorates, while 16 took place in the southern regions, including 14 in Khan Younis and two in Rafah. The remaining five were killed in the Central Governorate of Gaza.
0800 GMT — ICC prosecutor sees 'no real effort' by Israel to probe Gaza war crimes
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan has defended his decision to bring war crimes allegations against Israel's prime minister, saying Israel had made "no real effort" to investigate the allegations itself.
In an interview with Reuters, he stood by his decision over the arrest warrant despite a vote last week by the US House of Representatives to sanction the ICC in protest, a move he described as "unwanted and unwelcome".
ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.
0720 GMT — Houthis report US carried out 5 airstrikes on northern Yemen
Yemen’s Houthi group reported that the United States carried out five airstrikes targeting the northern Amran province.
According to Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV, the "American aggression" focused on the Harf Sufyan district.
The report gave no details about casualties or damage caused by the strikes.
0450 GMT — G7 calls Gaza ceasefire a 'significant development'
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) powers called the ceasefire deal in Gaza "a significant development" and urged Israel and Hamas to work on its "full implementation."
"This is a significant development," the G7 said in a statement, urging "all parties to engage constructively" in its next phases of talks "to help ensure its full implementation and a permanent end to hostilities."
Palestinians in Gaza, repeatedly displaced by Israeli attacks, are eager to return home after a long-awaited ceasefire. Ashraf Shannon has more from Khan Younis pic.twitter.com/dAhO5hoVGu
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) January 17, 2025
0318 GMT –– Biden says Netanyahu should accommodate 'legitimate concerns' of Palestinians
Outgoing Democratic US President Joe Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns" of Palestinians for the long term sustainability of Israel.
"And the idea that Israel is going to be able to sustain itself for the long term without accommodating the Palestinian question ... It's not going to happen," Biden, who hands over to Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, said in an interview on MSNBC.
"And I kept reminding my friend, and he is a friend, although we don't agree a whole lot lately, Bibi Netanyahu, that he has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns of a large group of people called Palestinians, who have no place to live independently."
0300 GMT — Israeli strikes kill scores ahead of Cabinet meet on truce deal
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a deal to pause war in Gaza and return captives from the besieged Palestinian enclave has been reached.
Friday's announcement came a day after Netanyahu's office said there were last minute snags in talks to free captives in return for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian abductees.
Netanyahu said he will convene his security cabinet and then the government to approve the agreement.
More than 86 Palestinians have been killed in air strikes across Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that is meant to pause Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
Over $300,000,000,000.
— TRT World (@trtworld) January 16, 2025
This is the amount of aid the US has provided Israel with since 1948, helping fund Tel Aviv’s wars, as well as its oppression and occupation of Palestine, for decades pic.twitter.com/U89N8nIQcV
2100 GMT — Israel kills 86 Palestinians since Gaza truce announcement
The Israeli military has killed at least 86 Palestinians in air strikes across Gaza since the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that is meant to pause Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
Three Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza and Gaza City in the latest attacks.
The deaths brought the toll since the agreement was announced to 86 Palestinians, including 23 children and 27 women, according to Gaza's Civil Defense Service.
It indicated that the victims were as follows: two in Rafah, seven in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, four in the central governorate and 73 in Gaza City in the northern enclave.
It also noted that during the same period, more than 258 Palestinian injuries were recorded from the Israeli bombardment.
2200 GMT — Trump says ceasefire better be finalised before his inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump has said the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas better be finalised before his inauguration on Monday and said his involvement was crucial for the negotiation.
"We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office," he said in a podcast interview with Dan Bongino.
Trump also said "we shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done."
He claimed Biden hadn't done anything.
"I'm not looking for credit. I want to get these people out," he said. "We've got to get them out."
For our live updates from Thursday, January 16, 2025, click here.