White House expects hostage release to begin on Monday

The White House says it expects the release of Israeli hostages to begin on Monday, following a cabinet vote in Israel on the proposed deal. A senior U.S. official said that if Israel approves, it must withdraw to an agreed line within 24 hours. Once the withdrawal is complete, a 72-hour timeline for releasing hostages will begin. The official added that Hamas “will try to go earlier if possible.”

The negotiations in Egypt come two years and two days after Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people in Israel were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks in Gaza – the vast majority of them being civilians, women and children. More than 169,000 people have been wounded and over 1 million displaced, according to Gaza-based authorities.