00:00Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a deal to return the hostages held
00:07by Hamas in Gaza has been reached.
00:10It comes after his office said there were last-minute snags in finalizing the cease-fire
00:14announced on Wednesday.
00:16Netanyahu's statement appeared to clear the way for Israeli approval of the deal, which
00:20would pause 15 months of war in Gaza.
00:24It would also see dozens of hostages held by Hamas in the Strip released in exchange
00:29for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
00:32The deal would also allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the
00:37remains of their homes in Gaza.
00:40Israel had delayed a vote on the cease-fire on Thursday, blaming a last-minute dispute
00:44with Hamas for holding up approval.
00:47Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of reneging on part of the agreement in an attempt to
00:51gain further concessions.
00:53Hamas denied the claims, with a senior official saying the militant group is committed to
00:58the cease-fire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.
01:02The deal can't be implemented until it's approved by both the security cabinet and the government.
01:08Netanyahu is expected to convene the security cabinet later on Friday.
01:12A full cabinet meeting will take place on Saturday night.
01:17Hamas triggered the war with its attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people
01:23and saw 250 others taken hostage.
01:27Israel responded with a devastating offensive that's killed over 46,000 Palestinians.
01:33The military campaign has leveled vast swathes of Gaza and forced around 90 percent of the
01:38population from their homes.
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