The Israeli government approved the transfer of roughly 50 civilian hostages currently held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night.
While precise aspects of the deal have yet to be officially publicized, it is expected that at least a dozen Israeli hostages will be released over four days. In exchange, Israel has agreed to release Palestinian women and minors currently held in prison, and figures range from more than 400 to as low as 150. The Jewish state further agreed to accept a four-day cease-fire and to allow considerably more humanitarian aid, including fuel, into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The vote came after tense internal negotiations within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration. “Do you trust [Yahya] Sinwar more than us?” Israeli minister Benny Gantz reportedly pointedly asked finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, an opponent of the hostage swap, referring to the Hamas mastermind allegedly behind the October 7 attacks.
“We are not united,” national-security minister Itamar Ben Gvir pushed back on one Likud cabinet member pleading for consensus. “This is a decision with generational damage that will come back to hurt us badly.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas leaders acknowledged they were “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel, the Palestinian terrorist group’s chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement provided to Reuters. The agreement is in its “final stages,” and a deal is “closer than it has ever been,” a source familiar with the negotiations told the wire service.
As part of the deal, Hamas would release at least 50 women and children who were kidnapped during the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. In exchange, Israel would pause its fighting in the Gaza Strip for four or five days and release three Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli civilian released, according to multiple news outlets.
Hamas would also gather any other women and children hostages during the pause in the fighting, according to CNN. The temporary cease-fire could be extended for more hostages to be released.
Israeli sources told CNN the deal could be finalized today. Qatar, which is mediating the negotiations, is expected to announce the deal.
Any negotiated cease-fire would only be temporary, said Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, according to a Fox News report.
“It will only be a temporary cease-fire,” he said. “They need that time out and, as a result, we believe the probability of their agreeing to release our people has gone up.”
But, Regev added, “it’s not done until it’s done.”
Hamas terrorists captured about 240 hostages and killed more than 1,000 people, most of them civilians, during their raid of Israel last month. Israeli officials believe Hamas has murdered at least a couple of the hostages, and Hamas officials have said at least one hostage died after suffering a heart attack during Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip.