Israel-Hamas ceasefire live: Netanyahu says Israel will sign Gaza deal after last-minute issues resolved
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last-minute snags in finalising the ceasefire.
Netanyahu said he would convene his security cabinet later today following which the government will approve the long-awaited hostage deal.
His pre-dawn statement comes as Israel continued to bomb Gaza, killing at least 72 Palestinians on Thursday.Meanwhile, some protesters in Jerusalem have rallied against the Gaza ceasefire deal, lighting bonfires and expressing their anger at what they say is an act of surrender.
But pro-ceasefire crowds in Israel embraced one another as news emerged that the momentous ceasefire and hostage deal had been agreed.
Coming into effect on Sunday, it will bring an end to 15-months of devastation in Gaza – which has seen more than 46,000 Palestinians killed, according to Palestinian authorities – and the release of the Israeli hostages that still live.
Negotiators successfully addressed last-minute issues which arose on Thursday, a US official told Axios.
