Only the text from the cabinet agreeing to the Gaza ceasefire deal has been officially revealed to the public [Getty/file photo]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly refused to reveal to the public full details of the ceasefire deal signed with Hamas designed to bring a halt to the war in Gaza, as well as the release of a number of captives in exchange for Palestinian detainees.
Netanyahu’s office only published the text showing the cabinet’s agreement to the deal, leaving out several details explaining the ceasefire in full.
Information which has been kept confidential includes details on Israel’s withdrawal plans from the Philadelphi Corridor, Israel’s name for the narrow strip of land bordering Gaza and Egypt, specifically appendices and maps of the redeployment of troops along the corridor. Details concerning the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip have also been kept confidential, Israeli newspaper Haaretz said.
Israeli troops have ben given a 50-day window to pull out completely from the corridor, and have been instructed to withdraw out from Gaza’s urban centres, in an order to facilitate the return of Palestinians to northern parts of Gaza.
The text was reportedly shown to members of the security and full cabinet two days before the ceasefire was given the green-light, Haaretz said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The text of the cabinet decision, called “framework for the release of the Israeli hostages,” provides mostly details of the timetable for the release of the captives and information on how many Palestinian detainees will be freed.Â
Concerning the second and third stages of the agreement, the cabinet decision states the “parties will begin indirect negotiations according to Appendix B.” Appendix B seemingly being the original agreement kept under wraps by the cabinet, Haaretz said.
A petition has since been submitted to the Israeli High Court demanding the full release of the ceasefire accord.
Representing the petitioners, Hebrew University Professor Barak Medina, told Haaretz that “hiding the details of the agreement with Hamas and avoiding approving the entire agreement in the cabinet raises a suspicion that it is not based on national security considerations but on an attempt to evade implementing the second stage of the agreement,” which could see the potential release of more Palestinian detainees and captives, should it be implemented.Â
“The government does not have the right to hide information from the Knesset and the public, certainly not from the families of the hostages, unless there is a clear security interest that justifies it,” he added.
The ceasefire, based on a proposal by now-former US President Joe Biden presented in May 2024, was approved last week and came into effect on Sunday, after months of negotiations between Hamas and Israel, as well as mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
So far, three Israeli female captives have been released, as well as 90 Palestinian prisoners, including prominent MP and activist Khalida Jarrar.
The ceasefire stipulates that 33 Israeli captivess will be released, alongside 737 Palestinian prisoners. At least 10,000 Palestinians are currently detained in Israeli jails.
