The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the process of releasing Israeli hostages in Gaza will begin on Sunday, provided a ceasefire agreement with Palestinian militant group Hamas takes effect.

The statement by Netanyahu’s office came amid reports of last-minute problems in finalising a ceasefire to the conflict that started 15 months ago.

“Pending approval by the Security Cabinet and the Government, and the agreement taking effect, the release of the hostages will be implemented according to the planned framework in which the hostages are expected to be released on Sunday,” a statement by the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

A meeting of the Security Cabinet was underway on Friday to decide on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

On Wednesday, Qatar announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. Doha was the key mediator in the negotiations.

A day later, however, Netanyahu said that his Cabinet would not meet on Thursday to ratify the agreement, accusing Hamas of backtracking on parts of the deal.

Hamas denied the claims, with senior official Izzat al-Rishq stating that the group was “committed to the ceasefire agreement”.

Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Gaza since the ceasefire deal was announced. At least 113 persons have been killed since the ceasefire was announced, Al Jazeera quoted civil defence officials in Gaza as saying on Friday.

The announcement by Netanyahu on Friday appeared to make way for Tel Aviv to approve the deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The agreement would also allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their neighbourhoods in Gaza. About 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced within the territory, according to the United Nations’ Palestine refugee agency.

Netanyahu said that his office had informed the families of the hostages and directed the special task force to prepare for their return.

Israel’s military offensive against Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched an incursion into southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, killing more than 47,500 persons, including over 17,400 children.

Some of the hostages were released in November 2023 as part of a brief ceasefire deal and some were killed as a result of the war.

Several unsuccessful rounds of talks for a ceasefire have been held since late 2023. Fresh negotiations took place in Doha to sign the deal before Donald Trump takes office as the United States president on January 20. Besides Qatar, the talks are being mediated by neighbouring Egypt and the United States’ Joe Biden administration.

Biden announced on Wednesday that the ceasefire will have three phases. The first phase will last six weeks, which will see a “full and complete ceasefire” with the Israeli military withdrawing from all populated areas of Gaza.

“A number of hostages” held by Hamas, including women, elderly and the wounded, would be released in the first phase, said the US president. In exchange, Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will be freed.

The second phase would be a “permanent end to the war”. It would also include the release of the remaining hostages, including men, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It also entails the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gazan territory.

The third and final phase would include the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of any remaining bodies of the hostages.