Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement sent to Reuters that Hamas was “close to reaching a truce agreement.” With the help of Qatari mediators, the United States and Israel have been negotiating with Hamas to release hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his war cabinet today, and said he hopes for good news soon: “We are making progress. I don’t think it’s worth saying too much, not at even this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon.”
NBC News is reporting that according to a U.S. official, the tentative deal that was reached will result in the release of 50 women and children being held in Gaza by Hamas, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.
President Biden spoke about the deal during a meeting, saying, “We are now very close, very close. We could bring some of these hostages home very soon, but I don’t want to get into the details of things, because nothing is done until it’s done. And if we have more to say, we will. But things are looking good at the moment.”
