Israel’s cabinet has approved a framework for the release of hostages held by Hamas, with the first exchanges expected early next week under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the decision on Thursday, saying the deal would see hostages freed from Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners being sent back to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire is due to take effect 24 hours after cabinet approval, once Israeli troops complete a partial withdrawal from major cities.
The Israel Defence Forces said it had “begun operational preparations” to pull back to “adjusted deployment lines”.
Despite the announcement, airstrikes and shelling continued on Thursday, with Palestinian officials reporting several deaths, including seven people killed by Israeli fire earlier in the day.
The agreement follows negotiations in Egypt, where Hamas leaders accepted the deal, saying the United States had guaranteed the war would end. US President Donald Trump said hostages could be released “on Monday or Tuesday,” citing the complexity of the recovery operations.
Under the terms, Hamas said it had secured the release of 250 prisoners serving life sentences, 1,700 Palestinians detained after the October 7 attacks, and all women and children in Israeli custody.
Israel confirmed that it would not release senior political figure Marwan Barghouti, nor return the bodies of Hamas leaders Yahya and Mohammad Sinwar.
Once the ceasefire takes effect, humanitarian aid is expected to resume at the same levels as a previous truce in January.
Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Israel had “achieved all of the prime minister’s objectives”, adding: “From day one of this war, the prime minister laid out three objectives: the return of all our hostages, the defeat and dismantling of Hamas, and ensuring Gaza never poses a threat to Israel.”
Source: ABC News
