News from Israel and Gaza: Israel’s government to vote on ceasefire with Hezbollah

Signs of an imminent ceasefire between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia continue to grow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the security cabinet on Tuesday evening to approve such an agreement with Hezbollah, officials told the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel and told the Bloomberg news agency. The German Press Agency learned from government circles that the cabinet’s approval of the agreement negotiated under US mediation was “probable”.

Lebanese government sources in Beirut also expressed optimism; However, they emphasized that the decision now rests with Israel. The communications director of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, expressed cautious optimism: an agreement on a ceasefire was close. There were good discussions and things were going in the right direction. “But it’s not done yet.” He didn’t want to comment on details so as not to jeopardize the chance of reaching an agreement. In the evening, France said that talks about a ceasefire had made significant progress. It is hoped that the parties involved will take advantage of this opportunity as quickly as possible, said the Élysée Palace.

According to reports, the agreement is not just aimed at a temporary ceasefire. Instead, it should be about a permanent end to the fighting through a formal ceasefire. The agreement was negotiated with US mediation; just this week, mediator Amos Hochstein traveled to Israel and Lebanon again for negotiations. The Wall Street Journal reports, citing Lebanese officials, a 60-day implementation period that should allow Israel’s military to withdraw. The Lebanese army should also be stationed in the border area with Israel to prevent Hezbollah fighters from gaining a foothold there again. An international commission should monitor compliance with the agreement with the UN peacekeeping force Unifil, which has been stationed in Lebanon for years, it said.