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Iran’s foreign minister has called the Gaza ceasefire deal a “surrender” for Israel and reaffirmed Tehran’s continued support for Hamas, according to a statement from the country’s foreign ministry.

He said Hamas’ “resilience compelled the occupying regime [Israel] to surrender and accept the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners,” the statement said.

In a statement, Hamas thanked Iran, saying the truce was achieved partly due to Iran’s support during the war, particularly Tehran’s two military assaults on Israel last year.

Israel’s defence minister will release dozens of West Bank settlers to “encourage and strengthen” settlements across the illegally occupied territory ahead of the ceasefire.

Israel Katz said the settlers would be freed “in light of the expected release of terrorists from Judea and Samaria as part of the hostage release deal,” according to The Times of Israel.

Under the ceasefire, set to come into force on Sunday, Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for Israeli hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s brutal 7 October attack.

“In light of the expected release of terrorists from Judea and Samaria as part of the hostage release deal, I have decided to release the settlers detained in administrative detention.

“[This will] convey a clear message of strengthening and encouraging the [West Bank] settlements, which are at the forefront of the struggle against Palestinian terrorism and facing growing security challenges.

“It is better for the families of Jewish settlers to be happy than the families of released terrorists,” he said on Friday.

French president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Friday that French-Israeli citizens Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi are in the first group of hostages to be freed by Hamas after a ceasefire with Israel.

Macron’s annoncement came after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel is expected to begin on Sunday.

The Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal is expected to begin as originally scheduled on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister’s office said, after hours of uncertainty over the timing of final cabinet approval of the deal.

“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,” it said.

Israel’s security cabinet convened at 10.15am (8.15am GMT) to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, according to an Israeli official.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet would meet following the announcement that negotiators had reached a deal in Doha for the hostages’ release.

Eight of the security cabinet’s 11 members are from Netanyahu’s Likud party. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right coalition partners in the security cabinet, have openly opposed the deal.

However, Israeli media reported that Smotrich had reached an agreement with Netanyahu over the deal on Friday.

The wider Israeli government will vote vote to ratify the deal on Saturday ahead of the ceasefire’s expected implementation on Sunday.