DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Hamas is expected to release the first hostages under the Gaza ceasefire agreement on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday.
If successful, the ceasefire would end the fighting that has razed much of the highly urbanized Gaza Strip, killed more than 46,000 people and displaced most of the pre-war population several times over. war in the small enclave, or 2.3 million inhabitants, according to local authorities.
The Israeli cabinet will meet to give final approval to the agreement with the militant group Hamas regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday, following concerns that the agreement is not delayed.
In Gaza itself, Israeli military aircraft continued intense strikes, and civilian emergency services said Friday that at least 101 people, including 58 women and children, had been killed since the deal was announced.
Faced with apparent long-standing divisions among ministers, Israel delayed meetings scheduled for Thursday in which the cabinet was to vote on the deal, blaming Hamas for the delay.
Hamas said it was committed to the deal.
But on Friday morning, Netanyahu’s office said approval was imminent and that the select security cabinet was scheduled to meet Friday ahead of a full cabinet meeting to ratify the deal that will take place later.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the negotiating team that agreements had been reached on a deal to release the hostages,” his office said in a statement.
