The Israeli government’s Security Cabinet voted on January 17 to approve a hostage and ceasefire deal that will lead to the release of hostages by Hamas. The agreement is widely expected to move forward, even though several hurdles must be crossed because of Israeli government votes and approvals. After the cabinet’s approval, the government still has to meet in a wider session to ratify the deal. Religious Knesset members from the governing coalition left notes in Hebrew saying they supported the agreement before going home for Shabbat, which began at sunset.
The Israeli military is now preparing to implement the deal, which is expected to begin on Sunday, January 19. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) calls the operation “Wings of Freedom.” The IDF has established three sites near the border for hostages to arrive at, depending on where they are delivered from Gaza. The sites include the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza, the Reim IDF base near central Gaza, and the Erez crossing in northern Gaza. The IDF is putting in place medical professionals to assist the hostages when they return. The freed captives will then be transported to special areas set aside in hospitals to provide care and a welcoming environment.
The first hostages will be released in groups over 42 days in the deal’s first phase. Two more phases of the deal may see the rest of the captives, some of them deceased, released. Israeli media outlets have published the names of the 33 hostages expected to be freed in the first phase. They primarily include women and children, the elderly, and those needing medical attention. The hostages held in Gaza include Israelis who are dual nationals of other countries, such as the US and the UK, and 10 non-Israelis.
The IDF is expected to withdraw from parts of Gaza during the first phase of the deal. The changes will include redeploying the 162nd IDF Division, which has fought for three months in northern Gaza. The division consists of infantry and armored brigades and has been fighting in Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya. In the last two weeks, the IDF has suffered casualties in Beit Hanoun from explosive devices, illustrating the continued terror threat in an area close to the Israeli border. The 162nd is expected to redeploy to defensive positions along the Israeli border with northern Gaza.
In another significant redeployment, The Times of Israel reported that the 99th IDF division is expected to leave the Netzarim Corridor that separates Gaza City from central Gaza. The IDF captured the corridor in the first days of the ground campaign that began on October 27, 2023. Over time, the IDF expanded the corridor, a road was laid down, and various strong points and other small facilities were established. At one point, a temporary US floating pier was also positioned on the coastline, connected to the corridor. The pier proved inadequate for its mission of delivering aid and was dismantled in July 2024. The IDF eventually settled into a routine in the corridor, rotating brigades in and out and holding the area with one division.
The withdrawal from the corridor, if things go according to plan, will rapidly change the ability of the 2 million people in Gaza to be able to move from southern and central Gaza to northern Gaza. It will likely enable some of the residents to return home, although large-scale destruction after months of fighting in places like Jabaliya will require humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. It is not clear how much of this will be able to take place in the first phase of the deal.
The IDF’s Gaza Division, which is usually responsible for the security of the entire border with Gaza but whose duties have expanded and changed since October 7, will be primarily responsible for the southern sector of the Gaza border, Israeli media reports. The 162nd will cover the northern sector. For now, the Gaza Division will also maintain units in the Philadelphi Corridor. This deployment along the southern part of Gaza along the Egyptian border will also be affected by the deal, and the division is slated to withdraw in phases from this area, according to Israeli media reports.
