In exchange for the abducted, 150 Palestinian terrorists underage or women will be released. The ceasefire could then be extended for a further day for every 10 Israeli hostages.

In an important vote taken early on Wednesday morning, Israel’s full cabinet approved a deal to release approximately 50 Israeli hostages that were abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza during its terror attack of October 7. Around 240 hostages have been taken in total. The deal was approved with 35 votes against three. The first group of 12-13 hostages may be released by Thursday.

The ultra-nationalist Otzma Yihudit party of National Security Minister Itamar Gvir voted against the agreement despite earlier expressing opposition.

A government official in Israel told reporters that the deal would see 50 Israelis — mothers, children and other women — released over a period of four days. Israel agreed to a four-day ceasefire, the first since the start of the war. In addition, 150 female and teenage Palestinian security prisoners were released. For each group of 10 additional hostages released, the ceasefire could be extended for an additional day. Israel will then resume its campaign to destroy Hamas.

After the vote, the government confirmed the terms and conditions of the agreement without revealing any details about the other Israeli concessions. It released a list later Wednesday morning of 300 Palestinian security prisoner from which the initial 150 would be selected. The remainder could be freed in exchange for the release of more Israeli hostages. They have not been convicted of any murder.

The Israeli government is determined to bring all abductees back home. The government approved tonight the outline of the first step in achieving this goal. Under it, at least 50 women and children abducted by Hamas will be freed over the course of four days.

It added that “the release of each additional abductee will result in a day of respite.” The Israeli government, IDF, and security forces will continue to fight to bring back all abductees. They will also eliminate Hamas to ensure that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel.

In each phase, there will be multiple phases. Israel will exchange 50 hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners during the first phase. The exchange will be done in four phases with at least ten hostages released each time.

The cabinet decision allows the war cabinet to choose the prisoners who will be released at each phase from a list. The cabinet also has the authority to decide the start and end dates of each phase.

Most of the 287 security prisoners who are scheduled to be released, or those aged 18 and younger, were arrested for rock-throwing and rioting in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The 13 other prisoners are women over 18, most of whom were convicted for attempted terror stabbings.

Almagor Terror Victims Association announced Wednesday morning it would petition the High Court of Justice against the deal at noon. Almagor founder Meir Interior and board member Dr. Aryeh BACHACH wrote in a letter addressed to Justice Minister Yariv Levine that they believe “the same landmines, surprises and pitfalls in the agreement are present in almost every [hostage] transaction in the past.”

The High Court will be hearing any petitions filed on Wednesday. It is expected that it will reject these appeals as it did when it heard petitions against the 2011 deal to release Gilad Schalit from Gaza for over 1,000 Palestinian Security Prisoners.

Hamas released a statement claiming that the “provisions of this agreement” were formed according to the vision and determinants of the resistance, which aim to serve and strengthen our people’s steadfastness against aggression.

Israel has also agreed to allow Gaza to receive additional fuel and humanitarian aid that had been restricted by the war.

Hamas has said that Israel, as part of a ceasefire agreement, will stop drone flight over southern Gaza, and instead only fly them in the northern part of the enclave six hours per day from 10 am to 4 pm.

The terrorist group stated that, while they had agreed to a truce, “our fingers would remain on triggers, and our fighters who have won the battle will continue to be on guard to protect our people and resist the occupation.”

All three security agencies, the IDF and Shin Bet, expressed their support of the agreement during the Israeli cabinet’s meeting that began on Tuesday and lasted until early Wednesday morning. Hebrew media reported that this endorsement convinced several ministers, including National Unity Minister Gideon Sa’ar who were on the fence to support the deal.

According to the official, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that certain conditions were included in the agreement, such as the release of additional hostages following the four-day break, Hamas’s commitment to identify and locate other hostages held in the Strip by terror groups, and the refusal of Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder to be released.

The official from the Israeli government said that Israel believed Hamas would find 30 additional Israeli mothers and their children in addition to the initial 50. For each new group of 10 Israeli hostages located and released, the ceasefire would be extended for a day. Hamas claims it is unable to immediately locate around 10 Israeli children who were taken during the shocking attack on October 7.

Hebrew media reported that the Hamas hostage deal would see 30 children and twenty women released, including eight mothers of some of those children.

Hamas claims to be holding 210 out of 240 hostages taken last month. There are also about 40 hostages, but not all are Hamas hostages. Many of the remaining hostages are said to be held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group.

Netanyahu’s office announced on Tuesday that the agreement would allow the Red Cross to provide medicine and access to abductees in Gaza who will be held as hostages.

After the cabinet vote the public has 24 hours to file a petition against any planned prisoner release. However, no reversal of this decision is expected, and the official from the government speculates that the deal would go into effect Thursday.

Channel 12 news reported