Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached, after his office had said earlier there were last-minute snags in finalizing a ceasefire that would pause 15 months of war.Netanyahu said he would convene his security Cabinet later Friday and then the government to approve the long-awaited agreement.Netanyahu’s statement appeared to clear the way for the Israeli government to approve of the deal, which would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and see dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It would also allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the remains of their homes in Gaza.Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory on Thursday.Israel initially delayed a vote Thursday on the ceasefire, blaming a last-minute dispute with Hamas for holding …
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The excitement inside of BMW Manufacturing's Plant Spartanburg was high as the first vehicles rolled onto the newly expanded assembly line on Thursday morning. WYFF News 4 was given an exclusive look. To watch the story, click on the video above. The nearly $2 billion upfit expanded the assembly hall by more than 50 percent and will allow for the assembly of fully electric, hybrid and internal combustion engines. That diversity is part of BMW's "Technology Openness Approach." WYFF News 4 was also granted an exclusive interview with Oliver Zipse, chair of the Board of Management BMW AG.He said that strategy is all about the quality of the vehicle and the brand."Whether it's highly efficient combustion engines, whether it's plug-in hybrid, or fully electric, or even M models, we make that independent of the drivetrain, and customers have a choice. I think our current model success shows that we don't tell people what to buy, we supply what they want. We manage the complexity behind it, and we will continue that strategy here in Spartanburg," Zipse said. The expansion will enable BMW to build at least six fully electric models by 2030, and the high voltage batteries to fuel those vehicles will be assembled right down the street in Woodruff. Our tour gave us another exclusive peek today inside "Plant Woodruff," which is one year from completion. Zipse visited the plant for the first time since announcing the plan in 2022.He said he's pleased with the progress."We believe first of all in the technology, second that people would like to contribute for local value added and especially in the highly valued and very expensive electric drive train. So that is a big step for us, but also a big step for our customers," Zipse said. It's hard to overstate the economic value of South Carolina's relationship with the BMW Group for the past thirty years. The group has invested more than $14.8 billion and is now completing its seventh expansion. According to the Darla Moore School of Business at USC, the annual overall economic impact of BMW in South Carolina is $26.7 billion.Zipse said South Carolina feels like a second home."Now, 30 years later, we are the largest exporter in value of vehicles from the United States, so we are not only supplying the local market, we supply the world with our vehicles, and because we are investing, we see a grand future here in South Carolina for the world," Zipse said. He points to the company motto as the BMW Group and South Carolina look to the next 30 years, "Building Legacy - Driving Future."