Jerusalem: The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that a “deal to release the hostages” had been reached and that he had ordered the political-security cabinet to convene later in the day. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the negotiating team that agreements have been reached on a deal to release the hostages,” his office said in a statement. His office had accused Hamas on Thursday of reneging on key parts of the agreement to extort last-minute concessions — an allegation Hamas denied. “The Prime Minister ordered the political-security cabinet to convene tomorrow (Friday). The government will then convene to approve the deal,” Netanyahu’s office said. It added that the families of the hostages had been informed and that preparations were being made to receive them upon their return. If approved by Israel’s cabinet, the truce agreement would begin on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised. It was announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday.
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