Israeli cabinet to consider possible deal for release of some hostages

Israel and the Hamas militant group appear close to a temporary cease-fire deal that could bring the first pause in fighting in a devastating six-week war and result in the release of dozens of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip. Hamas predicted on Tuesday (early Wednesday AEDT) a Qatari-mediated deal could be reached in "the coming hours", while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene top decision-makers to discuss the matter. "We are advancing," Netanyahu told troops …