Israeli Gov’ Approves Hostage Release Deal With Kushner and Witkoff in Attendance

The Israeli government approved early Friday morning a framework for the release of all hostages, both living and murdered, and the first phase of an IDF pullout from Gaza, the Prime Minister’s Office announced.

Ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Orit Strock, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Yitzchak Wasserlauf voted against the agreement, while Minister Ofir Sofer of the Religious Zionist Party voted in favor.

Following the cabinet’s approval, the ceasefire in Gaza officially went into effect.

In an unusual move, American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined the government meeting for about thirty minutes.

During the session, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared, “We are at a momentous development in the last two years. We fought during these two years to achieve our war aims. The central one of these war aims is to return the hostages, all of the hostages, to the living and the dead. And we’re about to achieve that goal. We couldn’t have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They worked tirelessly with Ron and his team, our team.”

He continued, “And that and the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza and the combined military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas, I think, has brought us to this point.”

Netanyahu went on to thank the American mediators directly, saying, “I want to personally thank both of you, Steve and Jared. It’s been long hours. You have worked hard, but not only worked. I think you put in your brains and your hearts. And we know that it’s for the benefit of Israel and the United States, for the benefit of decent people everywhere, and for the benefit of these families who will finally get to be with their loved ones. And I want to thank you on their behalf as well, and on behalf of the people of Israel. Thank you.”

Kushner, speaking next, said, “Obviously, bringing the hostages home has been a priority for President Trump for a very, very long time. And we’ve all worked very tirelessly to do that. But I really want to say that this all would not have been possible without the bravery of the IDF and the soldiers, what they’ve accomplished not just in Gaza, but also what they’ve done over the last couple of years to eliminate Hezbollah in the north and really degrade them, what you were able to do in Iran. It really helped set a big tone.”

He added, “But particularly seeing the way that your citizen army, I know a lot of you, probably all of you have family, friends who were in this effort, really put your sacrifices on the line to fight for your country and to try and make a difference. I think that made a very, very big difference in there.”

Witkoff also addressed the meeting, saying, “The hard job was the prime minister’s. He had the job of protecting this country. He had the job of making tough choices with regard to how tough to be with Hamas, when to be flexible, when not to be flexible. I think to myself all the time, I lost sleep over it, what would I have done in some of those circumstances?”

He acknowledged, “There were times that I thought we should be more flexible or your country should be more flexible. But the truth is, as I look back, I don’t think we get to this place without Prime Minister Netanyahu playing it out.”

Witkoff emphasized, “And I’m not just saying that. They’re not just words. The president believes that. My president believes it. He believes that Prime Minister Netanyahu made some very, very difficult calls. And lesser people would not have made those calls. And here we are today because Hamas had to. They had to do this deal. The pressure was on them. They were backed up. And you’ve got the bigger army. You were making inroads. And that’s what led to this deal.”

Before the meeting, Witkoff and Kushner met privately with Netanyahu in the Prime Minister’s Office. The two had arrived in Israel Thursday evening after participating in hostage-related discussions in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Earlier that evening, the Security Cabinet convened with members of the Israeli negotiation team who had just returned from talks abroad.

The government’s decision is expected to authorize the release of terrorists held in Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of hostages, as part of the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan. The remaining aspects of the broader deal will not yet move forward.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had both announced ahead of the vote that they would oppose the agreement.

The Prime Minister’s Office also announced that the operation to free the hostages will be called Shavim L’gvulam (Returning to Their Border), a play on words based on a pasuk in Yirmiyah.

Following government approval, the IDF is to withdraw to a line coordinated with Hamas under the plan. Israel has committed to completing the withdrawal within 24 hours. Although the boundary has not been formally disclosed, an Israeli official said it closely mirrors the “yellow line” outlined by President Trump over the weekend, with several minor adjustments agreed upon with Jerusalem.

As part of the withdrawal, Israeli forces will exit Gaza City, recently entered during Operation Gideon’s Chariot 2. Israel will retain control over approximately 53 percent of the Gaza Strip under the new arrangement, but will pull out from larger areas as the weeks of the ceasefire continue.