Israeli war cabinet convenes to discuss release of captives in Gaza

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel’s war cabinet met Tuesday night to discuss a deal to release Israelis being held captive by the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The cabinet discussed the details of the hostage deal, Israeli Channel 13 reported, citing an unnamed senior official.

Over the past few days, Hamas has tightened its position on the number of Palestinian prisoners it is demanding to be released and has reduced the number of hostages it will release, the channel said.

It said Israel is trying to reduce the number of days of a cease-fire as part of the deal, adding the cease-fire could be between three to five days.

Meanwhile, the families of the hostages and missing persons announced that they would hold a press conference to ask the war cabinet to approve the deal Tuesday night, according to the channel.

Hamas captured around 239 Israelis, including military personnel and civilians, during a surprise attack on Israeli settlements and military positions in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

Since then, at least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 7,750 women and children, and around 29,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings including hospitals, mosques and churches have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at 1,200, according to official figures.