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The details of the potential deal
The details of any potential deal have emerged in recent days as officials on all sides hinted a major agreement was in the works.
An Israeli official told local media that 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza would be released during a four-day pause in the fighting, Ma’ariv reported. All of those released would be Israeli citizens, the news website said.
Israel will be willing to continue the pause in fighting for additional days in exchange for 10 more hostages per day, meaning the total number of released hostages may reach 70 or 80, it said.
The releases are expected to begin on Thursday or Friday, Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster, reported. It said Israel will release three female or teenage prisoners for every hostage freed.
The Washington Post reports that in exchange for the release of hostages, Israel would release Palestinian women and minors from prison and agree to a four-day truce in Gaza, as well as a significant increase in fuel and aid shipments into the Strip.
Families and friends of about 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.Credit: AP
‘We are close’: Leaders speak on potential deal
Before the Israeli Cabinet voted on the plan to halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza, Netanyahu acknowledged that it faced a tough decision, but supporting the ceasefire was the right thing to do.
Netanyahu said that during the lull, intelligence efforts will be maintained, allowing the army to prepare for the next stages of battle. He said the battle would continue until “Gaza will not threaten Israel.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Credit: AP
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier indicated the hostage negotiations were moving forward, following similar comments from US President Joe Biden. “The movement delivered its response to the brothers in Qatar and the mediators, and we are close to reaching a truce agreement,” Haniyeh, who’s based in Qatar’s capital Doha, said in a statement on Telegram.
Biden said a deal is “very close” and the chances of it being completed are “very good.”
“We could bring some of these hostages home very soon,” Biden said.
“But I don’t want to get into the details of things because nothing is done until it’s done.”
Netanyahu asks Israeli government to back deal
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the conflict in Gaza where Israel and Hamas are inching closer to a deal that would result in the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a partial pause in fighting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked his government to back the deal but says his country will continue its war against Hamas.
“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”
A US official had said the deal would include a four- or five-day ceasefire, the first pause in six weeks of an Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in central Israel.Credit: AP
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