Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement enabling the release of some hostages captured by the Palestinian militant group during its Oct. 7 attack on the country, Axios and Haaretz reported Tuesday, citing those familiar with the deal.
“Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage,” the Israeli government said in a statement outlining the terms.
The deal will see Hamas release 30 children, eight mothers and 12 other women, according to the reports. There will be a temporary cease-fire that will begin with four days and be extended by another day for every ten additional hostages released by Hamas, the government said in a statement, per The Associated Press.
Israel is expected to release about 150 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Israel will also allow 300 aid trucks to enter Gaza per day during the pause in fighting in the Palestinian enclave.
Haaretz added that all branches of Israel’s security services support the deal. A source told the publication that Hamas may release foreign nationals at the same time in accordance with other deals struck with separate countries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed the ceasefire does not mean the end of the war, vowing to continue Israel’s assault against Hamas after the reprieve ends. The country has pledged to continue the fighting until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are returned.
“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” the prime minister told lawmakers. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”
Qatar and the U.S. have been reportedly working for weeks on a potential agreement behind the scenes with both sides.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu held a number of meetings, including with his government and war cabinet, “in light of the developments on the issue of freeing the hostages.”
About 240 people are believed to have been kidnapped on Oct. 7, including U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals. While Hamas reportedly captured most, other militant groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are also holding hostages.
Hamas has already released four hostages prior to this agreement: two elderly Israeli women and a mother and daughter who are U.S. nationals.
