Netanyahu office says deal to release hostages now agreed | Global News Avenue

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said an “agreement to release the hostages” had been reached.

Netanyahu postponed a planned cabinet vote to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal on Thursday and accused Hamas of seeking last-minute changes to the deal.

On Friday morning, his office said the negotiating team had informed Netanyahu that the deal had been reached.

Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered a meeting of the political and security cabinet later on Friday and that the government “will subsequently meet to ratify the agreement.” The statement added that the families of the hostages had been informed.

According to Israeli media reports, representatives of Israel, Hamas, the United States and Qatar have officially signed the agreement in Doha.

ceasefire agreement first announced on wednesday Mediated by the United States and Qatar.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the deal would take effect on Sunday, pending approval by the Israeli cabinet.

At the time, Netanyahu said the final details of the deal were still being worked out, but he thanked Biden for the “push.”

Netanyahu later postponed Thursday’s cabinet vote to ratify the deal, accusing Hamas of trying to “force last-minute concessions.”

Hamas says it is committed to the deal, but the BBC understands it is seeking to add some of its members to the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the deal.

Although Israeli negotiators agreed to the deal after months of negotiations, it cannot be implemented until it is approved by the security cabinet and the government.

News of the ceasefire was celebrated by many Palestinians and family members of Israeli hostages.

But the ground fighting in Gaza has not stoppedThe Hamas-run health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed more than 80 people since the deal was announced.

The IDF and the Israel Security Agency said on Thursday that 50 targets in Gaza had been struck since the agreement was announced.

The first six-week phase of the deal will see 33 hostages – including women, children and the elderly – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Israeli troops will also withdraw to the east, away from the densely populated areas of Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians will be able to start returning to their homes, and hundreds of aid trucks will be allowed into the territory every day.

The second phase of negotiations will begin on the 16th, when the remaining hostages will be released, Israeli troops will fully withdraw, and “sustainable calm” will be restored.

The third and final phase will involve the return of the bodies of all remaining hostages and the reconstruction of Gaza – which could take years.

Israel has launched a campaign to destroy Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and other countries, in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 people died, and another 251 people were killed and taken hostage.

Since then, more than 46,788 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have also been displaced, with widespread destruction and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter, while aid agencies struggle to reach those in need.

Israel says 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom are presumed dead. Four Israelis were kidnapped before the war, two of whom died.