Israel’s cabinet is voting on the first phase of a peace deal to end the war in Gaza, after Hamas agreed to the terms on Wednesday night.
The deal involves an immediate ceasefire, with Hamas then required to release all remaining 48 hostages who were captured on October 7. Around 20 of them are believed to still be alive.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued strikes on Gaza, with one attack killing at least two people and leaving 40 others trapped under rubble in Gaza City.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 11 dead Palestinians and another 49 who were wounded arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours.
An Israeli official said the military was hitting targets that posed a threat to its troops as they repositioned.
Hamas accused Netanyahu of trying to “shuffle the cards and confuse” efforts by mediators to end the war in Gaza.
Earlier on Thursday, President Donald Trump said the hostages would be released from Gaza on Monday or Tuesday, with the remains of 28 deceased hostages to be returned at a later stage.
In return for releasing them, Israel will release 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Trump added he would travel to Egypt for a signing ceremony.
At a White House Cabinet meeting, he said: “I think it’s going to be a lasting peace, hopefully an everlasting peace. Peace in the Middle East.”
On September 30, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, setting out a number of stages for the fighting to stop and for the territory to be rebuilt.
The original plan for a deal outlines that a large-scale flow of aid will be allowed into Gaza.
The UN’s aid chief said on Thursday that 170,000 tonnes of aid is ready to enter the territory, adding there should be no "backsliding" on the deal.
Uncertainty remains about some of the more problematic aspects of the plan advanced by Trump – such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza.
But the sides appear closer than they have been in months to ending the war.
