The answer came in the night, raising hopes. At 4:49 am on Friday, January 17, the Israeli prime minister's office confirmed what had been announced in the press a few hours earlier: "Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed by the negotiating team that agreements have been reached for the release of the hostages." Then, in the early afternoon, the Israeli security cabinet endorsed the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. The entire Israeli government was due to meet in the immediate aftermath and in turn approve this three-phase plan, intended to put an end to 15 months of war, which had been announced two days earlier by US President Joe Biden. It was the recriminations and one-upmanship of far-right ministers that are believed to have delayed the procedure, along with last-minute reservations on the part of Netanyahu.

President-elect Donald Trump announced the agreement on Wednesday and intended to promote it at his inauguration on Monday. He was already anticipating the next phase, writing on his Truth Social network: "We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accordsto," a reference to the 2020 agreements that normalized Israel's relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

You have 76.15% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.