Image source, Getty Images

While we await news as to whether the Israeli cabinet will approve a hostage release deal with Hamas, let's review the key developments of the last few hours:

• A senior Israeli official earlier told the BBC that the proposed agreement could see Hamas releasing 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children being held in Israeli prisons, and a four-day pause in fighting
• Before the meeting, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the war effort would continue even if a hostage agreement was struck - and thanked US President Joe Biden for improving the proposed deal. Biden himself earlier commented that a deal was "very close"

• Meanwhile, fighting continues in Gaza, with the Hamas-run health ministry saying more than 14,000 people have now been killed during Israel's campaign - including more than 5,500 children
• Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says three doctors have been killed in a strike on the al-Awda hospital in Gaza's north - including two of its own doctors. And the World Health Organization (WHO) says one of its employees and her young family were killed in a separate strike
• A Lebanese TV station says two of its journalists were killed in an Israeli strike on the Israel-Lebanon border; Israel says it's reviewing the incident
• The Israeli military said its forces had surrounded Jabalia, in Gaza's north, and were "ready for the next phase" of the conflict

The military wing of the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad has announced the death of a female Israeli hostage.

The group has not identified the hostage, or said how she died. Israel has yet to comment.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad operates separately from Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. But its militants took part in the 7 October attack on Israel alongside Hamas, during which more than 200 people were taken hostage.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's parliament has voted to recommend the suspension of diplomatic relations with Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel commits to negotiations facilitated by the UN.

The country has long been highly critical of Israel's military operation in Gaza.

It is not clear whether the government will act on the recommendation, which is non-binding. However, all MPs from the ruling African National Congress supported the motion.

South Africa, along with Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti, has submitted a referral to the International Criminal Court to investigate whether war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Gaza.

Israel has recalled its ambassador in South Africa "for consultations", Israel's foreign ministry said on Monday.

Earlier, the Israeli military gave its own take on the possibility of a hostage deal. Its chief spokesman told reporters that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had an “ethical and moral duty” to see captives returned home.

As we've been reporting - it's thought that a deal to release some hostages is close, and part of it would involve a brief pause in fighting.

When asked whether this would impact the IDF's preparation for further fighting, Daniel Hagari said: “We will know how to preserve our operational achievements so far, and to prepare for the next stages of the war.”

He added: “This will be a long war, with many stages." The Israeli prime minister earlier said that the Israeli war effort as a whole wouldn't let up - even if a deal was struck to release hostages.

Riyad al-Maliki has also been speaking to our colleagues on BBC Radio 4's World Tonight programme.

He hails the possibility of a deal - which would involve the exchange of Israelis held by Hamas, and Palestinians held by Israel - as "good news".

The Palestinian Authority foreign minister goes on to say:

Riyad al-Maliki, the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), was also asked by the BBC about whether the PA could govern the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war.

In a recent Washington Post article, US President Joe Biden argued that the PA should take on such a role - in addition to its existing job, running parts of the West Bank that are not under Israeli control.

Speaking to the BBC, al-Maliki shrugged off suggestions that the PA's ruling Fatah party wasn't popular enough to do so, He said low political ratings could be witnessed in other places, too. "It happens to President Biden, it happened to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu."

He argued that Netanyahu had been undermining the PA for decades, "to prevent the PA from taking control" of Gaza.

The foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) says a deal between Israel and Hamas could see as many as 300 Palestinian prisoners freed.

"We have heard 50 Israeli detainees (could be) exchanged for 300 Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli prisons, all women and children," Riyad al-Maliki told The Context programme on BBC News a short while ago.

The PA is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and is entirely separate to Hamas - the group that governs the Gaza Strip and whose armed wing attacked on Israel on 7 October, taking hostages.

The 300 number given by al-Maliki is double that provided by US officials - who were earlier quoted saying that the exchange would involve the release of 150 Palestinians.

Al-Maliki said it remained to be seen whether a deal would be finalised anyway: "Right now it is in the hands of the Israeli government."

ICRC still ready to help - but says its abilities are limitedpublished at 21:58 Greenwich Mean Time 21 November 2023

21:58 GMT 21 November 2023

Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva

Image source, Getty Images

As rumours swirl that the release of at least some Israeli hostages could be imminent, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has tonight reaffirmed its readiness to support "any agreement that brings relief to the victims of this conflict".

But the ICRC went on to use a form of wording that could be interpreted as meaning a hostage release may be days rather than hours away. It added: "We are in conversations with the parties to help carry out any humanitarian agreement they reach."

It’s a reminder from the ICRC - which feels its role as the guardian of the Geneva Conventions has been misunderstood in this conflict - that its ability to help is limited, unless the warring parties agree to respect the so-called rules of war. That means releasing hostages and sparing civilians.

Once Hamas and Israel agree on terms for a hostage release - and the expected pause in hostilities - the ICRC is promising it will be there to retrieve hostages and return them safely home.

And, many hope, to bring some humanitarian relief to Gaza.

A man whose brother-in-law was abducted by Hamas on 7 October has given the BBC his reaction to the news that a hostage deal could be in the offing - meaning the possible return of 50 captives to Israel.

As we reported earlier - a US official has been quoted as saying that those people released could be mostly women and children - with 150 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel in exchange.

Moshe Emilio Lavi says it's a "relief" that some Israelis could soon be released - but points out that others will be "left behind". He emphasises that many of the men being held hostage - like his brother-in-law Omri - are not soldiers, but are simply fathers, brothers, grandfathers and sons.

"We will not stop calling for their release," he says.

Qatari officials delivered Israel a proposal for the deal with Hamas early this morning, a foreign ministry official has told CNN.

Qatar has played a mediator role between the warring parties in this conflict, and has previously been involved in securing the release of four hostages.

As we've been hearing over the last several hours, the deal being reviewed by the Israeli government tonight involves the release of hostages to the Israeli side in exchange for a pause in fighting over a period of days.

We are expecting to hear whether the Israeli government has approved the proposed deal before long.

Netanyahu remarks were largely for domestic audiencepublished at 21:01 Greenwich Mean Time 21 November 2023

21:01 GMT 21 November 2023

Tom Bateman
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, Prime Minister of Israel

We didn't get much of a steer from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu about the potential hostage deal - in those words he delivered a short time ago.

I think that's because they've had the war cabinet, the political cabinet and now they're having the wider government meeting. That's anything of up to 40 people who would vote on the details of this deal, including on a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

What we heard from Netanyahu was a pre-recorded statement made before the wider meeting began. He basically had two messages:

1. He addressed claims in Israel (he called them nonsense) that the war could stop because of this possible deal. This was particularly aimed at those further to his right in the Israeli coalition and their supporters. Netanyahu said adamantly that the war would go on after a pause in fighting to get hostages out
2. The other thing he said was that in the last few days he had spoken to US President Joe Biden. He said he put it to Biden to get a better deal for Israel at a lower cost, which he claimed he achieved

So, some revelations from him - I think largely for domestic consumption, to counter attacks from those further right of him politically. But what we don't have yet is confirmation of the contours of this deal.

Here's a bit more from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's video statement. A reminder that this was filmed before his cabinet met to discuss a possible hostage deal.

He said that agreeing to a deal would be a "a difficult decision, but it's the right decision", and one supported by the "security establishment".

Netanyahu added: "The war effort will not be hurt but will allow the IDF to prepare for the fighting to come."

He also thanked US President Joe Biden, who he says helped "improve the framework being laid out before you... to include more hostages at a lower price".

Image source, Prime Minister of Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will continue its war against Hamas "until we achieve all our goals".

In a video statement recorded before the cabinet met to discuss a possible hostage deal, he said "nonsense" was being spoken to the effect that the war would be stopped once the hostages were released.

Netanyahu described the hostages' return as a "sacred and top goal".

"In war there are phases and in returning the hostages there are phases but we will not stop until we have total victory, until we return all of them," he said. "That’s the holy duty of all of us."

The elimination of Hamas was also a goal, he said, "and that there won't be anything in Gaza that threatens Israel again".

We believe Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting his cabinet amid hopes of an imminent deal that would see the release of some Israeli hostages by Hamas.

A deal does not command support across the whole of the cabinet's membership. However, local media reports suggest that the level of opposition isn't enough to stop a deal being approved.

The full cabinet is comprised of 38 members from a number of different parties. Some strong critics of the deal come from the far-right.

Itamar Ben-Gvir - national security minister and leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party - said in a post on X that he would oppose a deal, adding that he believes Hamas's approval of the hostage deal indicates the Israeli army is carrying out an effective attack.

And Bezalel Smotrich - Israel's finance minister - said in a statement before the meeting that the deal was "bad for Israel's security, bad for the hostages and bad for IDF soldiers".

Meanwhile local media reports the ultra-Orthodox Shas party have said they will vote for a deal.

United Torah Judaism - the other ultra-Orthodox party in the cabinet - have not said how they plan to vote.

Image source, Reuters

We've been hearing from the relatives of some of those taken by Hamas on 7 October, as there's talk of a deal to release dozens of hostages being close.

Kamelia Hoter Ishay - whose granddaughter Gali was taken hostage - says she's trying not to get her hopes up.

Meanwhile, at a vigil in Tel Aviv, a man says he won't give up hope for his relative, Matan Eshet.

Image source, EPA

News of that death of a WHO employee comes on the same day the head of a different UN agency said 108 of his own staff had been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its operation there.

"According to our information, most were killed with their family members including their children," said Philippe Lazzarini - the head of UNRWA, an agency for Palestinians.

Lazzarini also told a meeting in Egypt, external that nearly 67 UNRWA installations had been hit - 17 of those directly. "Most of them were in the middle areas and in the south (of the Gaza Strip), where people were promised safety," he said.

"We cannot even protect people under the United Nations flag," Lazzarini added.

He said UNRWA was holding a memorial service every week to honour colleagues killed in Gaza. "I never believed... I would be planning memorial services for my staff in advance," he added.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says one of his employees has been killed in Gaza.

In a post on X, external, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says Dima Alhaj was killed alongside her six-month-old baby, her husband and two brothers, while sheltering in a house.

"I have no words to describe our grief," he writes. "This horror must end".

Since we just mentioned the plight of Gazan hospitals - here's a further, related update.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says two of its doctors and a third unaffiliated with the charity have been killed in a strike on the al-Awda hospital - one of the last functional medical facilities in the northern Gaza Strip.

A statement from MSF said the hospital - which it said has been caring for 200 patients - was hit on the third and fourth floors. In addition to killing the doctors, the alleged hit also severely injured other medical staff, including some affiliated with MSF.

MSF said it had regularly shared information about the al-Awda's activities and location to the warring parties.

"Seeing doctors killed next to hospital beds is beyond tragic, and this must stop now," the statement said. It reiterated the charity's call for an immediate ceasefire, and for the protection of medical facilities and staff.

White House spokesman Kirby also had some updates on the situation in Gaza.

Speaking in the last hour, Kirby said almost 20,000 gallons of fuel (76,000 litres) had been delivered to the territory over the previous day by "non-governmental organisations". He said this would primarily be used for hospitals to keep the power on.

And he said 50 trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered Gaza in the previous 24 hours.

Image source, Getty Images

White House security spokesman John Kirby has been talking with reporters about a potential hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. He said: "We are closer than we've been. We believe we're getting closer."

Kirby says the "first thing that's going to be needed" in a potential hostage release would be some sort of "safe passage" through which the captives could return to Israel.

Kirby declined to get into specifics on how many hostages could be released by Hamas, or which nationalities those people might be. He said hostages were being held in "abhorrent conditions" and would likely need medical attention as soon as they reached Israel.