Israel, Hamas ‘very close’ to reaching hostage deal amid fighting in Gaza

Israel and Hamas are very close to reaching a hostage agreement, President Biden signaled Tuesday morning, Nov. 21. Israeli and U.S. officials have been brokering the deal with mediators in Qatar.

“We’re now very close, very close, to bringing some of these hostages home very soon,” Biden said. “But I don’t want to get into the details because nothing is done until it’s done.”

Under the proposal, Hamas would release 50 Israeli hostages, specifically women and children, that were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel would release 150 Palestinian prisoners, also women and children, as well as agree to a five-day cease-fire in Gaza. Additionally, Israel reportedly agreed to allow 300 trucks of aid per day into the territory.

Israel’s war cabinet met on Tuesday to discuss the terms of the deal. The full cabinet will have to vote to approve the proposal in order for it to pass.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has enough votes within the cabinet to propel the vote to the full Israeli government, according to the Times of Israel. If the vote passes, an announcement could come as soon as Wednesday morning.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that while negotiations are still underway, Israel and Hamas were close to a “truce.”

However, “truce” is not the word that Israel is using. In fact, that same morning, Netanyahu’s office put out a statement saying Israel has two goals in this war: eliminate Hamas and bring home hostages.

If the agreement passes, Israeli troops are expected to continue carrying out their mission of eliminating Hamas once both sides have upheld their end of the agreement.

As negotiations progress, the Israel Defense Forces continues to airstrike northern Gaza, including Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital where heavy fighting has erupted.