Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said early Friday his Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release hostages held by Hamas. The brief statement focused on the hostage release and made no mention of the other parts of President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war.
Under the plan, Hamas will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.
Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of Trump’s plan, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza. Trump said Thursday that he expects the hostages will be released from Gaza on Monday or Tuesday.
U.S. officials said Thursday the United States would send about 200 troops to Israel to monitor the deal.
Here’s the latest:
Israel’s Cabinet has approved the ‘outline’ of a deal to release hostages held by Hamas
The move announced by Netanyahu’s office early Friday marks a key step in implementing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that was brokered by 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. Israel is expected to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining 48 hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Around 20 of the hostages are believed to be alive.
