By Anadolu staff
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s War Cabinet is set to convene Thursday evening to discuss a possible hostage swap deal with Hamas, according to local media.
Israeli Channel 12 said the meeting is most likely to explore ways of reaching a deal to free Israelis held captive by the Palestinian group.
There was no comment from the Israeli government on the media report.
Thursday’s meeting will be the first to be held by the War Cabinet since Hamas rejected a proposed cease-fire deal with Israel earlier this week.
The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure from the hostages’ families and the opposition to reach a swap deal with Hamas.
The Palestinian group, which is believed to be holding around 133 hostages, demands an end to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv.
Nearly 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and 76,800 others injured in the Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7, 2023, amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel says nearly 1,200 people have been killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
A previous deal in November saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar