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Netanyahu’s Office Announces Hostage Deal Agreement

Netanyahu’s Office Announces Hostage Deal Agreement

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that a “deal to release the hostages” has been finalized. Netanyahu had postponed a cabinet vote on the Gaza ceasefire deal, originally scheduled for Thursday, accusing Hamas of trying to secure last-minute alterations to the agreement.

On Friday morning, Netanyahu was updated by the negotiating team that agreements had been reached regarding the deal. He has since ordered the political-security cabinet to convene later that day, with plans for the government to officially approve the agreement afterward. Families of the hostages have been notified of the developments.

Representatives from Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar recently signed the deal in Doha, as reported by Israeli media. The ceasefire was initially announced by mediators from the U.S. and Qatar on Wednesday.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani stated that the agreement is set to take effect on Sunday, contingent on Israeli cabinet approval. At that time, Netanyahu acknowledged that final details of the deal were still being negotiated and expressed gratitude to President Biden for his role in facilitating it.

However, Netanyahu later delayed the cabinet vote, accusing Hamas of attempting to “extort last-minute concessions.” While Hamas affirmed its commitment to the deal, sources indicate they sought to include additional members on the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released.

Although Israeli negotiators have endorsed the agreement, it requires approval from the security cabinet and government before it can be put into action. Families of both Palestinian and Israeli hostages celebrated the news of the ceasefire, though hostilities continued on the ground in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry reported that Israeli strikes have killed over 80 people since the announcement of the ceasefire.

The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency confirmed that strikes targeted 50 locations in Gaza following the ceasefire announcement.

The initial phase of the deal outlines the exchange of 33 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly, for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Additionally, Israeli troops will withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas in Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians will be allowed to return to their homes, and a flow of aid will begin, with hundreds of aid trucks entering the territory daily. Negotiations for the second phase of the deal, which aims to release the remaining hostages, orchestrate a full Israeli troop withdrawal, and restore “sustainable calm,” will commence on the 16th day of the agreement.

The final phase will involve the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza, a process expected to take years.

Israel initiated its campaign against Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., and others — in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 abductions. Since then, more than 46,788 people have died in Gaza, as reported by the territory’s Hamas-operated health ministry.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza persists, with most of the 2.3 million residents displaced and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter. Aid agencies continue to struggle in delivering assistance to those in need.

As of now, Israel states that 94 hostages remain in Hamas custody, with 34 of them presumed dead. Four Israelis were taken before the war, two of whom are also reported deceased.

Credit: BBC News

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