GAZA/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: The leader of Hamas said on Tuesday a truce deal with Israel was close and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped for good news soon about hostages, the most optimistic signals so far of a deal to pause the war in Gaza and free captives.

Hamas officials were “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel and the group had delivered its response to Qatari mediators, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement sent to Reuters by his aide.

Netanyahu said: “We are making progress. I don’t think it’s worth saying too much, not at even this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon”, according to remarks released by the Israeli prime minister’s office. Later on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said “we are now very, very close” to securing the release of potentially dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Tentative Gaza deal reached to free some hostages, pause fighting: report

Netanyahu summoned his war cabinet amid growing signs of a deal to free some of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas to Gaza after their deadly cross-border raid into Israel on Oct. 7, which triggered the war.

A source familiar with the negotiations said Hamas would free 50 women and children, including some foreigners, while Israel releases 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors, during a four-day ceasefire.

A US official briefed on the discussions facilitated by Qatar gave the same figures for releases by each side, saying the 50 hostages to be freed would be mostly women and children, with fighting paused for four or five days.