EXPECTATIONS RISE | Netanyahu office says captive release will take place as scheduled; Hamas says committed to deal

Agencies DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM

Hamas is expected to release the first hostages under a Gaza ceasefire deal on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanised Gaza, killed over 46,000 people and displaced most of the tiny enclave's pre-war population of 2.3 million several times over, according to local authorities.

The Israeli cabinet will meet to give final approval to the deal with militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and a release of hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday, following concerns the accord may be delayed. In Gaza itself, Israeli warplanes kept up intense strikes, and the Civil Emergency Service said on Friday that at least 101 people, including 58 women and children, had been killed since the deal was announced.

With longstanding divisions apparent among ministers, Israel delayed meetings expected on Thursday when the Cabinet was expected to vote on the pact, blaming Hamas for the hold-up. Hamas said it was committed to the deal.

In the early hours of Friday, Netanyahu's office said approval was imminent and the restricted security Cabinet is due to meet on Friday before a full cabinet meeting to ratify the deal that will be held later. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was informed by the negotiating team that agreements have been reached on a deal to release the hostages," his office said in a statement.

The announcement came a day after Netanyahu's office said there were last-minute snags in talks to free hostages in return for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners. The announcement, coming  after US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced the deal was  complete  created a dual reality.

While war-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held in the enclave and world leaders all welcomed the result of months of painstaking diplomacy, the postponement of  the Cabinet vote on the agreement resulted in uncertainty about the deal.

The deal announced Wednesday would see scores of hostages held in Gaza released and a pause in fighting with a view to eventually wind down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.