Israel to release about 2,000 Palestinians under Gaza ceasefire deal: official

JERUSALEM -- Israel will release about 2,000 Palestinians, including minors and convicted militants, as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement with Hamas, an Israeli official said on Thursday, ahead of a crucial overnight vote by the Security Cabinet and the full government.

The Security Cabinet met in the evening ahead of a full cabinet session to vote on the first phase of the US-backed 20-point peace plan, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

According to the official, the truce will take effect once the votes are completed. Within 24 hours, the Israeli military will carry out an initial pullback to the so-called "yellow line," a reference to a ceasefire map released by the White House last month that outlines multiple stages of withdrawal.

Israel will also allow humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, the official added.

Under the deal, Hamas is to return 20 hostages believed to be alive and the bodies of 28 others. In exchange, Israel will free Palestinian detainees. The list includes about 270 prisoners convicted of various offenses, including attacks against Israelis, as well as around 1,700 Gaza residents held without trial who were not involved in the 2023 Hamas-led assault and are not considered militants by Israel. Among them are 22 minors under 18. Israel will also return the bodies of 360 Gaza militants.

The official confirmed that Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader imprisoned since 2002 and serving multiple life sentences for deadly attacks during the Second Intifada, will not be released under the deal.

Also on Thursday, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Israel ahead of the government vote. They had earlier met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and are preparing for Trump's expected visit to the region next week.

Two years of relentless Israeli strikes have devastated Gaza, caused famine, and killed more than 67,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.