The Israel-Hamas hostage deal, explained

On Tuesday, the Israeli government reportedly approved a deal with Hamas that the state of Qatar brokered and that has been more than a month in the making.

The final deal has yet to be officially announced, but the rough outlines reported in the media throughout Tuesday include several key planks: Hamas would exchange 50 hostages — women and children who are Israeli and dual-national — with Israel for about 150 Palestinian prisoners currently held in custody, mostly women. If all goes to plan, Israel would commence a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and would also stop drone overflights for six hours a day....