Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce that would see the Palestinian group release dozens of hostages taken on October 7, both sides have announced.

According to AFP, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the accord after a near-all-night meeting, in which he told reticent ministers this was a “difficult decision but it’s a right decision.”

A government spokesman told AFP that under the agreement at least 50 Israeli and foreign hostages would be released — women and children — in return for a four-day “lull” in military operations.

For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day of truce.

The Israeli cabinet’s approval was one of the last stumbling blocks to the agreement coming into effect. Qatar had helped to broker the talks.

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