Since it is the day before T’giving I will only post once today….I have prep work to do since I do the heavy lift on the cooking and Sue has a house to get ready for the family to show up….which is good for the next three days will probably be slow here on IST with cooking eating and shopping by the blogosphere.

Now for the good news…..

After all the Middle East fighting and death and destruction hostages have been taken and the world has been demanding a ceasefire and a release of those hostages. After round upon round of talks and negotiations it appears that the final leg of this process would be the Israeli Knesset’s approval of any deal.

And it appears we have a deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the approval of his Cabinet early Wednesday for a deal that would exchange prisoners in Israel for hostages in Gaza, the AP reports. In a televised address Tuesday night, Netanyahu had assured his nation that the war against Hamas will go on either way. “Tonight we stand before a difficult decision, but it is the right decision. All security organizations support it fully,” he said of the proposal. Israeli officials said the tentative deal calls for Hamas to release 50 women and children, while about 150 Palestinian women and teenagers being held in Israeli prisons would be freed, the New York Times reports. Hamas took about 240 hostages in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The Cabinet debated the exchange proposal into early Wednesday. The fighting would be stopped for several days under the terms; Netanyahu told his ministers that the break was only tactical and that the offensive against Hamas in Gaza would resume. “We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.” The exchange probably wouldn’t take place before Thursday to allow for judicial review in Israel. Netanyahu’s government has faced pressure from the hostages’ families to reach a deal for their release.

According to Axios, the first phase of the deal will involve Hamas releasing about 50 Israeli women and children, while Israel is expected to release about 150 Palestinian women and children. The releases will take place during the four-day pause.

Israel will also allow 300 aid trucks per day to enter Gaza from Egypt during the pause and for some fuel to be delivered. In a potential second phase of the deal, Hamas could release dozens of more hostages in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire by several days.

An Israeli official said that over the next 24 hours, the names of the Palestinian prisoners who will be released will be made public. This will be done to give Israelis the opportunity to appeal their release, signaling their freedom is not guaranteed.

The deal with Hamas received support from most ministers within the Israeli government except three members of the extremist Jewish Power Party. Ahead of the cabinet vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the war would continue after the short ceasefire.

(antiwar.com)

Keep in mind this is the Middle East if something can go wrong with this deal….It Will!

Hopefully this deal is a good sign for the region.

I am glad to hear that families on both sides of this conflict can be reunited with their loved ones….hopefully this is just the beginning.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and has many things to be thankful for in the lives.

Be Well….And Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”