Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Friday that a deal has been reached to release hostages held in Gaza and to implement a ceasefire, following intense negotiations between Israeli and Hamas teams in Qatar, Israeli media reported.
The Times of Israel quoted a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying that the Israeli prime minister had convened a security cabinet meeting for Friday to hold a vote on the deal, with a full cabinet session to follow for official approval. Netanyahu was informed by the Israeli negotiating team that the deal had been successfully concluded, and he thanked them for their efforts.
The deal, a giant step towards an end to the 15 months of war, will include dozens of hostages of Hamas for the Palestinian prisoners with Israel. His office said the families of the remaining 98 hostages have been informed and that their return preparations were underway.
The (full cabinet) will later convene to approve the deal," Netanyahu's office said in its statement, adding that Netanyahu had thanked the negotiating team, who told him the deal was finalized.
"The state of Israel is committed to achieving all the goals of the war, including the return of all our hostages, both the living and the dead."
The agreement, announced by mediators on Wednesday -- Qatar, the US, and Egypt -- will lead to the phased release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and also see a pause in fighting in Gaza.
The approval process has faced some delays despite the breakthrough. Netanyahu's office had signalled concerns over last-minute snags in the negotiations, accusing Hamas of reneging on parts of the deal.
Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said the cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions. These issues had delayed the approval of the ceasefire and hostage exchange, but the deal was eventually finalised.
The release of the first batch of hostages is now set to take place on Monday instead of Sunday due to the delay in cabinet approval. The vote in the Israeli government is going to be tight as some reports have indicated that a few members of Netanyahu's coalition government might not support the deal and would thus threaten to resign.
Read also| Incoming US NSA Signals Continuation of Biden Policies, Hails India as Critical Partner
Read also| Trump Takes Credit for Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Citing 'Historic Victory'