Release Of Hostages “Very Close”, As Israel Cabinet Meets To Agree On Deal

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The release of hostages is reportedly very close, as Israel’s full Cabinet meets to agree on a deal.

On Tuesday night, local time, Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his most senior ministers to agree on the deal to release some of the over 240 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.

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Both the United States president, Joe Biden, and Hamas have also said the deal was very close.

“My team in the region is shuttling between capitals. We’re now very close, very close, to bringing some of these hostages home very soon,” Mr Biden told media in Washington.

“But I don’t want to get into the details because nothing is done until it’s done.”

According to the Times of Israel, Israel would suspend the war for four days to allow the release of hostages.

It would then see around 12 hostages per day of the ceasefire released, with names of those hostages to be provided to Israel a day before their release.

As part of the exchange of the hostages for the release of 150 to 300 Palestinian prisoners, Israel insists none convicted of murder would be released.

Meanwhile, Hamas officials were “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement to Reuters.

It’s understood the Religious Zionism party could not agree to the deal, saying releasing only 50 hostages was “bad for Israel’s security, bad for the hostages, and bad for the soldiers of the IDF”.

The Otzma Yehudit party is also against the deal, saying all the hostages should be released, not just women and children,

In a televised video statement however, AP has reported Mr Netanyahu said the war would continue against Hamas even if a temporary ceasefire is agreed upon to release hostages.

“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said.

“We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”