TRANSCRIPT
Israel's emergency war cabinet has voted to approve a deal with Hamas to release the first batch of hostages being held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners over a four-day ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement confirming at least 50 hostages – women and children – will be released during the pause in fighting.
Hamas also released a statement, saying 150 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails.
The Israeli government said it will extend the pause for every 10 hostages released.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the ceasefire does not mean the end of the war.
"There is idle talk outside, as if after the truce to return our abductees, we will stop the war. So I would like to make it clear: we are at war - and we will continue the war. We will continue the war until we achieve all our objectives; eliminate Hamas, return all our abductees and missing persons and ensure that there will be no element in Gaza that threatens Israel."
The Israeli government, the United States and Qatar [[cutter]] - a chief mediator in the deal - had been negotiating for weeks and meeting into the early hours of the morning to facilitate the agreement.
Qatari officials are set to announce when the pause will begin within the next 24 hours.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya says it's a decisive moment.
"We are hopeful, God willing, for this temporary pause that would stop the aggression for some days, deliver aid, and swap civilians - women and children for women and children in the occupation’s prisons."
The families of those being held captive, like 73-year-old grandmother Hoter Ishay, say they are still trying not to get their hopes up.
"The only thing I am waiting for is the phone call from my daughter, Reuma (her daughter), who will say, 'Gali is coming back.' And then I'll know that it's really over and I can breathe a sigh of relief and say that's it, it's over."
Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong says the deal is a sign of progress towards the goal of a more sustainable ceasefire.
"This is, of course, an important and necessary step in what we must ultimately work towards is a long-term and enduring peace and again I reiterate that a long and enduring peace requires a two state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living securely within internationally recognised borders."
Ms Wong says 67 individuals, including Australians, permanent residents and their families were able to cross the Rafah border crossing overnight.
"This is the second group to cross this week after we helped 31 people cross the border on Monday. They are supported by consular staff in Cairo. To date we have so far facilitated the departure of a total of 127 Australians, permanent residents and their families."
It comes as hundreds of temporary visas have been granted to Palestinians over the past few weeks.
Only a small amount are reported to have made it out of the region.
Ms Wong stressed all visa applicants would be subject to the appropriate security checks.
Meanwhile, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has rejected claims police were heavy-handed in their approach towards pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked a road leading to a shipping facility in Sydney.
23 people were arrested at the rally at Port Botany on Tuesday night and charged with failing to comply with a move-on direction and damaging or disrupting a major facility.
They were protesting against the presence of a container ship, The Calandra, owned by Israeli shipping company Zim - which protesters say is a major arms supporter.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the port, calling for a ceasefire.
Videos posted to social media show chaotic scenes, including officers dragging people from the road and a child in a pram being hoisted in the air and passed around by protesters.
The Premier says no city in the world has been handling this perfectly and that New South Wales police have been doing a very good job in very difficult circumstances.
"Firstly, the protest went mobile. Secondly, they occupied a street without lodging a form-1 declaration. Thirdly, there was a lawful police order given to the protesters to move on. I think any reasonable person would say once you stack up that chronology, the police acted completely responsible in the same set of circumstances. Cannot have a situation where our ports are blocked for commerce because one group or another has a political disagreement with another country. That would be hugely damaging to our economy and it would be massively damaging to the reputation of both the state and the country."
In other developments, the Palestinian health ministry says at least eight people have been killed - including two journalists and a senior Hamas official - during Israeli Defence Force airstrikes.
