Israel’s war cabinet met on Tuesday night amid signs a deal to release dozens of hostages held by Hamas in war-torn Gaza was imminent.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, summoned officials after he said “progress” was being made on an agreement that could lead to a four-day pause in the war.
An Israeli government source told reporters on Tuesday that the agreement was expected to see the release of 50 Israeli citizens, mostly women and children, in groups of 12 or 13 per day.
In exchange, 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.
Joe Biden, the US president, earlier said a deal to release some of the 240 hostages held by Hamas was “now very close”.
‘Nothing is done until it’s done’
“We could bring some of these hostages home very soon,” Mr Biden said at the White House.
“But I don’t want to get into the details of things because nothing is done until it’s done.”
Hopes for an imminent breakthrough began to soar early on Tuesday morning after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group was “close to reaching a deal”.
Qatar, which has been a key mediator, said negotiations were at a “critical and final stage”.
“We are at the closest point we have ever been in reaching an agreement,” said Majed Al-Ansari, a foreign ministry spokesman.
Mr Netanyahu chaired a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet at 6pm local time, and was due to meet with the security cabinet at 7pm and the full cabinet an hour later.
Officials were expected to approve the agreement, but some of the prime minister’s far-Right coalition partners criticised the move towards a deal.
‘Releasing Palestinian prisoners would be disaster’
Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, said any agreement to release Palestinian prisoners would bring “disaster”, citing the more than 1,000 released in 2011 following the abduction of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, some of whom are thought to have taken part in Hamas’s Oct 7 massacre.
However, he and like-minded colleagues are not expected to be able to derail the deal.
But, even once approved, families of the hostages are expected to have to wait a further 24 hours before it could come into effect.
This would be to allow legal challenges, most likely from the Israeli families of victims of Palestinian prisoners set to be released.
Liz Hirsh Naftali, the great aunt of three-year-old American hostage Abigail Mor Idan, said: “I will believe it when I see them walk out.”
Meanwhile, Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman, told the BBC: “I hope we will see the release of our people shortly, but I am still not 100 per cent sure.”
Despite the notes of caution, the decision by the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross to travel to Qatar was taken as a positive sign, as the organisation is likely to oversee any prisoner exchange.
