Israel’s war cabinet meets to reach ‘deal’

Israeli TV Channel 13, citing senior political officials, stated that the war cabinet will meet tonight to discuss the details of the hostage deal.

The news recalled that Hamas insisted a few days ago on the number of Palestinians it wanted to be freed during the exchange, and noted that Israel was trying to reduce the ceasefire days that would be part of the exchange agreement.

The story noted that the ceasefire could last 3-5 days and stated that relatives of Israelis captured by Hamas and taken to Gaza during the October 7 attacks could also hold a press conference to demand that “the war cabinet accepts the agreement.”

THE QUESTION OF ENERGY EXCHANGE

The American press had claimed that a prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel could be announced within days, in which Palestinian women and children prisoners would be released.

Speaking to the Washington Post, an unnamed senior Israeli official claimed that Israel and Hamas “agreed on the broad outlines of the prisoner exchange agreement” and stated that Israeli and Palestinian women and children were planned to be released simultaneously in groups.

The Israeli official had argued that within the scope of the agreement negotiated by Qatar and the United States, a five-day ceasefire would be declared that would allow an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The report claimed that the agreement was “formed” by the cooperation of Israel, Qatar and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and stated that Israeli officials asked Qatar “not only to mediate but also to use its influence to get Hamas to release the captives.”

On the other hand, Abu Ubeyde, spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, noted in the audio recording published on Hamas’ Telegram channel that Qatari mediators worked for the release of 200 Palestinian children and 25 women in exchange for captives. Israelis in Gaza all last week.

Stating that Israel wanted the release of 100 women and children in Gaza, Abu Ubeyde said that, like Kassam, they conveyed to mediators that they could free 50 women and children with a five-day ceasefire and that this number could reach 70.

LATEST SITUATION IN GAZA

While Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched a comprehensive attack on the morning of October 7, claiming to “respond to Israel’s continued violations against the Palestinians and their sacred values, especially the Masjid al-Aqsa”, the Israeli army also launched intense airstrikes against the Gaza Strip. The bombing began.

Israel announced that 1,200 Israelis, including 365 soldiers, have been killed and 5,132 people have been injured since October 7, 46 of them in clashes inside the Gaza Strip and 6 in the north, on the Lebanese border.

According to Israel, there are 239 Israeli prisoners held by the Qassam Brigades.

According to the Gaza government, the death toll in Israeli attacks exceeded 11,240, of which at least 4,630 were children and 3,130 were women.

In the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli forces and Jewish settlers killed 197 Palestinians.

The Israeli army attacked the campuses or main buildings of dozens of Gaza hospitals, where tens of thousands of wounded and civilians took refuge, to force their evacuation. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the attacks.

74 Hezbollah members have been killed in clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah since October 8.