Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that an agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages in the Gaza Strip. Benjamin Netanyahu said that an agreement has been reached to return the hostages in the Gaza Strip.

It has been approved by Netanyahu's security cabinet. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is being considered a major achievement. Under this agreement, Hamas will release 33 hostages next week, which will bring an end to the 15-month-old war.

hostages will be released

Netanyahu's statement appears to pave the way for Israel to approve the deal, which would stop the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

What is the agreement?

• The agreement will also allow thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the remains of their homes in Gaza.
• At least 72 people were killed in Israeli air strikes in the war-torn region.
• Netanyahu said he had instructed a special task force to be ready to receive hostages returning from Gaza and that their families had been informed that a deal had been reached.

 Why was the ceasefire agreement delayed?

Israel had delayed a vote on the ceasefire, blaming a last-minute dispute with Hamas for the delay in approval, as growing tensions within Netanyahu's government coalition raised concerns about the deal's implementation just a day after it was announced by US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar.

Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement in an effort to gain further concessions. Israeli government spokesman David Menser says

Hamas denied the claims, with a senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq, saying the militant group was "committed to the ceasefire agreement" announced by mediators. Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, called on Israel and Hamas to implement the Gaza ceasefire plan "without delay."