TEL AVIV, October 10. /TASS/. The Israeli government has approved a plan to release all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, which should be the first step toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Palestinian enclave, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported.
"The government has approved a deal to release all hostages, both living and dead," the office said in a statement released following a cabinet meeting.
On October 9, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached agreements on the first stage of a peace plan following negotiations in Egypt. According to him, this stage involves the release of all hostages in the near future and the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed line within the Gaza Strip. Trump emphasized that the first steps have been taken "towards a strong, durable and everlasting peace."
Netanyahu immediately called Trump, thanked him for his mediation, invited him to visit Israel, as well as announced plans to convene a cabinet meeting to approve the agreements on the first stage of the peace plan.
