Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his war cabinet on Tuesday amid growing signs of an imminent deal on the release of hostages who were taken by Hamas militants to the Gaza Strip more than six weeks ago.
"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," Netanyahu told reservists without providing further details.
His office said that "in light of developments in the matter of the release of our hostages," he would convene his war cabinet at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) followed by meetings of his wider security cabinet and the full cabinet.
Two far-right members of Netanyahu's government said they would vote against the deal when the full cabinet meets at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), though they were not expected to tip the vote.
Talk of an imminent hostage deal has swirled for days. Hamas took about 240 hostages, including children and elderly people, during its Oct. 7 rampage into Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israel's tally.
Kamelia Hoter Ishay, the grandmother of 13-year-old Gali Tarshansky, who is believed to be held in Gaza, said she was trying not to follow all the deal reports because she was afraid of being disappointed.
"The only thing I am waiting for is the phone call from my daughter, Reuma, who will say, 'Gali is coming back.' And then I'll know that it's really over and I can breathe a sigh of relief and say that's it, it's over," she said.
Tarshansky was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Beeri, one of the communities worst hit by Hamas.
In a sign it was expecting hostages to return soon, Netanyahu's office said it was convening the directors-general of all the relevant government ministries to prepare for their treatment and aid.
A US official briefed on the discussions facilitated by Qatar said the deal would include 50 hostages, mostly women and children, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners and a pause in the fighting of four or five days.
A source familiar with the negotiations said those released would include foreigners.
The two far-right ministers in Netanyahu's government, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said that the best way to get a good deal was to keep up military pressure.
Before the government convened, Smotrich said in a statement that if the reports are correct, "the proposed deal is bad and we should not agree to it. It is bad for Israel's security, bad for the hostages and bad for IDF soldiers."
