Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 5, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 5, 2024
Mossad negotiators said to assure mediators Israeli cabinet will approve hostage deal
Demonstrators call for the release of Hamas hostages outside Tel Aviv's Defense Ministry compound on July 4, 2024. (Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The Wall Street Journal cites an official familiar with the hostage talks who says that Mossad officials have told mediators that they are optimistic the Israeli cabinet will accept the ceasefire proposal currently under discussion.
While far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir have spoken out against the terms currently being discussed, they could well be outnumbered by Haredi and Likud ministers. However, it is unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will want to ignore his far-right flank, as both Ben Gvir and Smotrich have threatened to topple the government if it advances the proposal Israel submitted in May.
