Netanyahu announces:

Deal on “release of hostages” is in place

(Bild: AFP)

The ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas should now be in place. "The Prime Minister has been informed by the negotiating team that an agreement has been reached on the release of the hostages," explained the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.

The government will meet later on Friday to approve the agreement, it added. The families of the hostages have been informed, Netanyahu's office continued. Preparations were being made to receive the released hostages on their return.

Dispute over prisoners
After months of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, the mediating states Qatar and the USA had already announced on Wednesday evening that both parties had reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages. Shortly afterwards, however, Netanyahu declared that "several clauses of the framework" were still open and needed to be clarified. There was talk of a "Hamas withdrawal". The radical Islamic organization denied this.

According to the Jerusalem Post, for a long time there was disagreement over who should decide which Palestinian prisoners should be released. Israel attaches great importance to ensuring that virtually no prisoners involved in Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 are released. Apparently there was also tension in Netanyahu's cabinet. According to reports, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Religious Zionism party demanded a promise from Netanyahu to resume the fight against Hamas after the first phase of the hostage agreement.

Cheering Palestinians in the town of Khan Younis

(Bild: APA/AP)

Emotional scenes also at a rally for the Hamas hostages in Tel Aviv

(Bild: APA/AFP/Jack GUEZ)

G7 states speak of "significant development"
The heads of state and government of the G7 group have described the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages as a "significant development" and called on Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas to "fully implement" it. "This is a significant development," the G7 declared on Thursday. They called on "all parties to engage constructively" in the next phases of talks "to ensure the full implementation" of the agreement and "a lasting end to hostilities".