HAMAS and Israel said today that they were close to reaching a deal over the freeing of prisoners of war taken in the surprise uprising on October 7.

The possible deal was confirmed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he would be convening a meeting of his war cabinet on Tuesday evening “in light of developments related to the release of the abductees.”

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh released statements to wire news agencies and Palestinian outlets saying they are “close to reaching a deal.”