Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that progress is being made in the negotiations on exchanging hostages with Hamas and expressed hope that "there will be good news soon." Various sources, including Hamas, the United States and Qatar, said a ceasefire could be announced soon.
CNN cited Israeli sources as saying that Israel and Hamas are "still working on the names of those who could be released." According to the report, there are around 237 Israeli hostages in Gaza, held by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and possibly other groups. Meanwhile, Israel could agree to release some of the 83 Palestinian women and 380 teenagers detained in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Israel.
