Israel government votes to back hostage deal with Hamas after six weeks of fighting
The prime minister's office says it involves the release of 50 women and children over a period of four days - during which there will be a pause in the fighting.
Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:51, UK
Israel has agreed a deal with Hamas for the release of some hostages in Gaza in exchange for a pause in the fighting.
It involves swapping the hostages for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
The Israeli prime minister's office said 50 women and children being held by Hamas would be freed over four days - during which there will be a pause in attacks on Gaza.
Israel said it would stop its offensive for an extra day for every 10 additional hostages released.
Hamas also said it had agreed a four-day pause in hostilities with Israel.
Israel-Gaza latest: Deal agreed but Israel says war will continue to 'complete elimination of Hamas'
The group said it had agreed to release around 50 women and children hostages in exchange for Israel releasing 150 Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.
It is the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the conflict began on 7 October.
Key points, according to Israel and Hamas statements:
• 50 Israeli women and children to be released over four days, during which there will be a pause in fighting
• For every additional 10 hostages released there will be another day's pause
• 150 Palestinian women and people under age 19 in Israeli prisons to be freed
• Humanitarian relief, medical and fuel aid to be allowed into all areas of the Gaza Strip
• Aerial surveillance by Israel to stop for four days in the south of the Gaza Strip
• Aerial surveillance by Israel to stop from 10am to 4pm for four days in the north of the Gaza Strip
• During the truce period, Israel is committed not to attack or arrest anyone in all areas of the Gaza Strip
A major step - but it remains a very fragile situation
The hostage release deal has been delicately structured after weeks of negotiation and many false starts.
After ratification by Israel's war cabinet, security cabinet and full cabinet, Benjamin Netanyahu now has the support of Israel's security establishment.
Some 50 hostages will be released, in phases, all with Israeli citizenship. Roughly 12 every day.
We understand Hamas has agreed to release women and children, but not female IDF soldiers they've captured.
Around 40 children are being held - it's unclear whether only they and their mothers will be released or all civilian women, including grandmothers.
In exchange, it's been reported that 150 Palestinian women and children will be freed from Israeli prisons - that's a ratio of 3:1.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal and said it should mean more American citizens being able to come home.
Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas - along with Egypt and the US, confirmed a deal had been agreed.
It said it was committed to "ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians".
In a statement, the Israeli government said it was "obligated to return home all of the hostages".
"Tonight, the government has approved the outline of the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 hostages - women and children - will be released over four days, during which a pause in the fighting will be held," it added.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron called the deal "a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza".
Read more:
Analysis: For Biden, the hostage deal is personal
Netanyahu says war will continue after pause
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened his special war cabinet - followed by meetings of the broader security cabinet and the full cabinet - to discuss the deal.
Ahead of the vote, he said Israel would resume its offensive against Hamas after the ceasefire expires.
He said the intervention of Mr Biden had helped improve the tentative agreement so it included more hostages and fewer concessions.
But he said Israel's broader mission had not changed.
"We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals," said Israel's leader. "To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel."
Israel says Hamas took 242 hostages and killed 1,200 people during its attack on 7 October.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 13,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel retaliated in an offensive that has devastated swathes of the territory and left hundreds of thousands displaced.
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Among the hostages in Gaza are about 37 children, according to The Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
Up until now, Hamas has released four hostages, Israel has rescued one, and the bodies of two others were found near al Shifa hospital.
Israeli troops have been battling Hamas militants as they expand operations across northern Gaza, where residents have been without electricity, water or access to humanitarian aid for weeks.
Tens of thousands of others have fled south through corridors announced by the military.
The frontline of the war, now in its seventh week, has shifted to the Jabaliya camp, a dense warren of concrete buildings near Gaza City.
Israel has been bombarding the area for weeks, and the military said Hamas fighters have regrouped there and in other eastern districts after being pushed out of much of Gaza City.