Hala, 11, a young displaced Palestinian from the Naqla family in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, prepares tea in the morning under the gaze of her brother Nizar, 14, while their father Mohammed plays with their two-month-old little brother Hassan in their temporary family cave on al-Zawayda beach, near Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, on Oct. 9, 2025. (Credit: Bashar Taleb/AFP)
The Israeli government will be meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. local time to vote on the Gaza cease-fire agreement that was reached on Wednesday between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Egypt. The truce and hostage exchange does not come into effect until the deal is approved by Israel.
One of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition partners, Interior Minister Bezalel Smotrich, declared that he and his party would be voting against the cease-fire deal, however, opposition leaders have made it clear to Netanyahu that they would prop him up in support of a cease-fire deal and prevent the government from collapsing.
According to Times of Israel, Smotrich expressed “mixed emotions” saying that while he feels “immense joy” at the pending return of the hostages, he feels “tremendous fear of the consequences of emptying the prisons and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders." As such, he said, “We cannot join in the short-sighted celebrations or vote in favor of the deal.”
Smotrich claims that Israel will continue fighting after the hostages are released.
The deal will first be reviewed by Israel's security cabinet at 5 p.m. before being presented to the rest of the government.
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