Israel has reached deal to release hostages held in Gaza, says PM Benjamin Netanyahu
The statement came after the Israeli prime minister accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of backtracking on parts of the agreement.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Tel Aviv had reached an agreement with Palestinian militant group Hamas for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
The statement by Netanyahu came amid reports of last-minute problems in finalising a ceasefire to the conflict that started 15 months ago.
The Israeli prime minister said he will convene his Security Cabinet later on Friday followed by a meeting of the government to approve the deal.
On Wednesday, Qatar announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. Doha was the key mediator in the negotiations.
A day later, however, Netanyahu said that his Cabinet would not meet on Thursday to ratify the agreement, accusing Hamas of backtracking on parts of the deal.
Hamas denied the claims, with senior official Izzat al-Rishq stating that the group was “committed to the ceasefire agreement”.
Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Gaza since the ceasefire deal was announced. At least 81 persons had been killed by the strikes in 24 hours, Al Jazeera quoted Gaza’s health ministry as stating on Thursday.
The announcement by Netanyahu on Friday appeared to make way for Tel Aviv to approve the deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The agreement would also allow hundreds of thousands...
