Israel & Palestine 1 min read

Hostage Deal Negotiators Work to Close Gaps as Israel Preps Vote

Source: WSJ:

Updated 24 day ago

People wave US and Israeli flags at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv following a Gaza ceasefire deal. — People wave U.S. and Israeli flags in Tel Aviv following the announcement of a deal. Photo: jack guez/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—Israel’s government was set to vote Thursday on an agreement brokered by the Trump administration that would free the remaining hostages held by Hamas and establish a cease-fire in Gaza, a diplomatic breakthrough after months of failed talks.

The hostage deal, which President Trump announced from the White House on Wednesday, promises to close a major wound opened by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel and give momentum to the effort to end a two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead and the enclave in ruins.

The administration hopes the deal will be the first step toward a longer-term settlement that will involve talks over the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an interim government to oversee Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced resistance to ending the war from far-right members of his coalition government, welcomed the deal to bring home Israeli hostages, which his government is expected to approve.

“This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the state of Israel,” he said early Thursday.