IDF readies to receive hostages returning from Gaza

The Israeli government approved the hostage deal at 1 a.m. on Saturday after over seven hours of debate, Walla reported.

Twenty-four ministers voted in favor, and eight ministers voted against.

Hamas said on Monday that talks over some core issues for a ceasefire deal in Gaza have made progress, an official in the Palestinian group told Reuters.

"The negotiation over some core issues made progress and we are working to conclude what remains soon," added the official who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The Tikva (Hope) Forum, which represents some families of hostages, came out against the deal that is reportedly on the table, emphasizing that they want "ALL the hostages home."

The forum called on the public to protest the deal in Jerusalem Monday night.

"No hostage can be left behind! We demand Israel destroy the enemy. Only through total victory can we bring all the hostages home."

The forum has come out against possible hostage deals in the past, pushing for more military pressure, which they say is the way to bring the hostages home. 

Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri addressed the deal being negotiated between Israel and Hamas at his faction meeting on Monday.

Deri said, "Shas supports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his efforts to bring about the release of the hostages and will support any deal that is submitted for government approval for this important goal."

Yesh Atid and opposition head Yair Lapid addressed his meeting with Qatari officials in Paris on Sunday at the beginning of the Yesh Atid faction meeting on Monday.

"The Qatari senior official reported to us about the actual situation of the hostage deal. I can't go into all the details, but we learned from him that a deal is possible, and at this stage, Hamas is not interested in torpedoing it."

He also mentioned that due to the coalition's opposition to the deal, "I offered him a political safety net for a hostage deal. This offer is more valid than ever. If Netanyahu can and wants to make a deal, he and I will know how to close the details of the safety net in half an hour."

Hamas is very close to agreeing to a hostage deal with Israel, a Hamas official told CNN on Monday.

However, several disagreements still need to be resolved before finalizing the deal. One key issue is Hamas wants  Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire instead of just a temporary pause.

Additionally, Hamas has requested that Israel withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor, which is a 14-kilometer-long strip of land that separates the Gaza Strip from Egypt's Sinai Desert.

The Hamas official also told CNN that the terrorist organization has a list of Palestinian prisoners that they demand be released, as well as a map of territories from which they demand the IDF withdraw. 

A three-stage deal to release the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza has been reached, and parties are awaiting Hamas’s response, a source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday morning.

The emerging hostage deal is a “national security catastrophe,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a statement on Monday morning.