Israeli government approves framework for hostage deal, says Netanyahu on X

ISRAEL'S government ratified a ceasefire with the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Friday (October 10), clearing the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and free Israeli hostages held in Gaza within 72 hours after that.

AI Brief

Israel agreed to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages held by Hamas.
The Gaza war has killed over 67,000 Palestinians and strained Israel's global relations.
The deal marks the first phase of Trump's initiative to end the two-year conflict and ease regional tensions.

The Israeli cabinet agreed to the deal early Friday morning, roughly 24 hours after mediators announced an agreement to free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's initiative to end the two-year war in Gaza.

"The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's English-language X account said.

The war has deepened Israel's international isolation and upended the Middle East, having evolved into a regional conflict that has drawn in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon. It also tested the U.S.-Israeli relationship, with Trump seeming to lose patience with Netanyahu and pressuring him to reach a deal.

More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters stormed through Israeli towns and a music festival on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.