Ceasefire In Limbo: IDF Strikes Gaza City Just Hours After Israeli Cabinet Approves Ceasefire Deal
Israeli airstrike hits Gaza City as cabinet votes on US-backed ceasefire; 40 trapped, hostages to be released, Israel to free 2,000 prisoners, raising tension amid fragile truce.
An Israeli airstrike struck Gaza City Thursday night, just as the Israeli cabinet prepared to vote on a US-mediated ceasefire and hostage release agreement, underscoring the fragile nature of the truce.
According to Palestinian media citing the Hamas-run Gaza civil defense agency, the strike targeted the Sabra neighborhood, collapsing a building and trapping around 40 people under the rubble. Civil defense teams recovered four bodies, with rescue operations continuing under dangerous conditions.
IDF Confirms Targeted Strike
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the attack, telling Newsweek that it “struck a Hamas terrorist cell in the northern Gaza Strip that was operating in close proximity to IDF troops and posed an immediate threat to the troops operating in the area.”
Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya confirmed the ceasefire terms, saying the group received US guarantees that hostilities would end. “Today we announce an agreement to end the war, [with Israel] withdrawing from the Strip and carrying out a prisoner exchange,” he said, adding that the war has ended indefinitely according to the mediators’ assurances.
ברצועה מדווחים: 4 הרוגים ועשרות נעדרים בתקיפת בניין מגורים בשכונת סברה בעיר עזה@OmerShahar123 @guy_telaviv pic.twitter.com/xykSGX4OkG
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 9, 2025
Hostage Release and Prisoner Exchange
Under the US-backed plan, the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza are expected to be released within days, while Israel will free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Among them are 250 security prisoners convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis and around 1,700 Gazans detained after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault that left over 1,200 people dead and 251 hostages abducted.
The ceasefire vote has triggered opposition from far-right Israeli ministers. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir—representing Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit, vowed to oppose the deal. Ben Gvir said his party was pleased the hostages would return home but could not support a plan releasing “murderous terrorists,” warning that Hamas’ survival could destabilize the government.
Ongoing Rescue Efforts in Gaza
Rescue operations in Gaza remain urgent. A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense said, “Our crews are still working at the site of an Israeli attack on a home belonging to the Ghaboun family, where more than 40 people remain trapped under the rubble on Al-Thalathini Street in the Al-Sabra neighborhood. So far, two women have been rescued, and rescue efforts continue under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions.”
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, told CNN that at least 30 Palestinians have been killed since Wednesday evening.
US Hails Ceasefire as Diplomatic Breakthrough
US officials have described the ceasefire as a major diplomatic breakthrough. Speaking at a White House cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump called the deal “a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East, something that people said was never going to be done. We ended the war in Gaza, and I think it's going to be a lasting peace, hopefully, an everlasting peace.” He added, “We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday. Getting them is a complicated process… We’re working on the timing, the exact timing. We’re going to Egypt, where we’ll have a signing, an additional signing.”
Trump also highlighted the US administration’s diplomatic role, noting that relationships forged with Middle Eastern partners over the past month made the ceasefire possible. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the president for convening a coalition of Muslim-majority nations, including Indonesia and Pakistan, to support the peace plan, calling it “historic” and essential for achieving the agreement.
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