Cairo, Egypt – Negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Israel agreed Friday on “all necessary arrangements to implement” the Gaza truce deal, expected to take effect on Sunday, Egyptian state-linked media reported.
Citing an informed Egyptian source, Al-Qahera News said that technical meetings which started in Cairo on Friday ended “on a positive note”.
During Friday’s talks, the negotiators agreed to form a joint operations room in Cairo to “ensure effective coordination” and compliance with the truce terms, the source said.
It added that the room will include representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Israel’s cabinet convened on Friday to vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
The agreement, which was earlier approved by the security cabinet, would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza’s deadliest-ever war.
It would also launch on Sunday the release of hostages held in the territory since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Trucks have been waiting on the Egyptian side of the border, where the Egyptian foreign ministry called on Thursday for the rapid, safe and effective distribution of humanitarian aid.
In announcing the truce, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that it would “surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians”.
Israeli strikes have killed over 100 people since the deal was announced, while Israel’s military said Thursday it had hit about 50 targets across Gaza over the past day.
© Agence France-Presse
