Gaza hostage release agreement reached with Hamas, Israel's Netanyahu says

Announcement comes after Israeli Prime Minister's office said there had been last-minute snags in ceasefire deal

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that an agreement for the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been reached.

The announcement came in the early hours of Friday, a day after Mr 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 Palestinians detained in Israel. Hamas rejected the accusations.

"The Prime Minister ordered the political-security cabinet to convene tomorrow. The government will then convene to approve the deal," Mr Netanyahu's office said.

It said that the hostages' families had been informed and that preparations were being made to receive them upon their return.

If approved by Israel's cabinet, the truce agreement would begin on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.

Israel and Hamas initially agreed on Wednesday to free dozens of hostages and pause the war in Gaza that has killed more than 46,700 Palestinians. The Israeli military began its offensive after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostage.

Mr Netanyahu's announcement came after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened that his party would leave the Netanyahu government if a ceasefire and hostage deal was approved.

"If the war against Hamas resumes with full force toward achieving its decisive goals and objectives that remain unmet, we will return to the government," Mr Ben-Gvir said, echoing a similar threat to the Prime Minister made earlier by political ally Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.