“We are very happy that we were able to reach an agreement today to stop acts of aggression against our people, but unfortunately we were able to reach the same agreement last May,” Naim said.
Another person with direct knowledge of the talks and an Israeli official briefed on the agreement also confirmed the news.
President Joe Biden is expected to issue a statement about the deal later Wednesday.
Earlier, diplomatic sources in Washington told NBC News that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to meet with the security cabinet and expected early approval of the deal. He will then submit the agreement to all cabinet members, who are expected to approve it.
Israel’s Supreme Court has 24 hours to approve the appeal, so the ceasefire would not take effect until Friday at the earliest, the officials said. The first group of hostages will come out on Sunday, the official added.
Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, which it said killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. In late November 2023, just over 100 were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners during a cessation of hostilities.
The war has destroyed Gaza’s infrastructure and displaced most of its population. Health officials in the enclave say more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most of them civilians.
After so many false dawns in recent months, the chances of a ceasefire seemed slim.
