Israeli cabinet approves ‘outline’ of hostage release deal
Trump said on Thursday the Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday and that he hopes to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt and address the Israeli Knesset
Israel’s Cabinet has approved the “outline” of a deal to release hostages held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said yesterday, as top Israeli officials debated a tentative deal to pause the devastating two-year war with Hamas.
The approval is a key step in implementing a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners brokered by US President Donald Trump.
The brief statement focused on the hostage release and made no mention of the other parts of Trump’s plan for ending the war.
Trump said on Thursday the Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday and that he hopes to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt and address the Israeli Knesset.
Trump opened a White House cabinet meeting by discussing a deal reached on Wednesday under which the hostages held by Hamas militants are to be released in the first phase of a broader Gaza plan. He said he believed it would lead to “lasting peace.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military carried out more strikes in Gaza, including one that reportedly left more than three dozen people trapped beneath rubble.
The new strikes hit as the Cabinet met to weigh the terms of the breakthrough proposal and could free the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The broader ceasefire plan advanced by Trump’s administration included many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza.
But the sides appeared closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the territory and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in Gaza.
The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
Some 1200 people were killed in the Hamas-led assault, and 251 were taken hostage. In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children.
