INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Israeli security cabinet has recommended approving the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, ahead of a full cabinet meeting expected
(1330 GMT) to give final ratification to the agreement, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said is expected to take effect on Sunday,
with the release of the first hostages.If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces that has razed much
times over, according to local authorities.It could also ease hostilities in the Middle East, where the Gaza war spread to include Iran and
Israeli warplanes kept up heavy strikes, and the Civil Emergency Service said that at least 101 Palestinians, including 58 women and
children, had been killed since the deal was announced on Wednesday.Under the six-week first phase of the three-stage deal, Hamas will
release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50.Israel will release all Palestinian
women and children under 19 detained in Israeli jails by the end of the first phase
The total number of Palestinians released will depend on hostages released, and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinians, including men,
women and children.Hamas said in a statement on Friday that obstacles that arose in relation to the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement
ceasefire accord after the meeting was pushed back from Thursday, raising concerns of delays.Ministers were summoned to a full cabinet
meeting at 1330 GMT on Friday, an official with knowledge of the situation said, giving ample time for the ceasefire to begin on Sunday and
the first hostages to be returned to Israel.Israel blamed Hamas for the last-minute hold-up, while Hamas on Thursday said it was committed
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to resign if it was approved
However, he said he would not bring down the government.His fellow hardliner, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has also threatened to quit
the government if it does not go back to war to defeat Hamas after the first six-week phase of the ceasefire was completed.Nevertheless, a
majority of ministers were expected to back the agreement.In Gaza, the airstrikes continued
In the aftermath of one strike on tents housing displaced people, a boy picked through damaged items on the floor that was littered with
canned food and coffee pots.That attack killed two people and wounded seven at an encampment close to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis,
according to medics.Also in Khan Younis, mourners gathered around the body of a man killed in an Israeli strike as women hugged each other
strikes.HOSTAGE FAMILIES WANT SWIFT ACTIONIsrael says 98 hostages are still being held in Gaza
About half are believed to be alive
They include Israelis and non-Israelis
Of the total, 94 were seized in the Oct
7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and four have been held in Gaza since 2014.For the first time, Israeli authorities have officially
informed hostage families of the names of the first 33 to be released but it remains unclear how many of those on the list are still alive.A
group representing families of Israeli hostages in Gaza on Thursday urged Netanyahu to move forward quickly.The ceasefire accord emerged on
As well as the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the deal includes a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.It also
paves the way for a surge in humanitarian aid for the coastal strip, where the majority of the population has been displaced and faces
hunger, sickness and cold.A World Health Organization official said on Friday it should be possible to scale up aid imports into Gaza
massively to about 600 trucks a day under the terms of the deal.The aid surge requires more than a 10-fold daily increase in lorries from
the daily average of 51 that U.N
7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.Source: Reuters--Agencies
