Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a series of meetings with the war cabinet and government ministers to discuss a proposed deal to free hostages held in Gaza.
If the deal - mediated by Qatar - is finally approved, the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas could be freed over the coming days in groups of about a dozen at a time.
Hamas is believed to be holding more than 200 hostages, taken when its fighters surged into Israel on October 7th, killing 1,200 people.
But Netanyahu said Israel's broader mission had not changed, saying war would continue until Hamas was destroyed.
University of Otago senior lecturer of Middle Eastern Politics Dr Leon Goldsmith spoke to Charlotte Cook.
