Netanyahu predicts a hostage deal with Hamas before long
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has expressed optimism about an upcoming hostage deal with Hamas and a truce in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli prime minister indicated that ‘within days’ there will be a date for a hostage deal that could lead to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip following a war that erupted after the horrific attacks by the Palestinian extremist Hamas group on Israeli territory on 7 October 2023.
Netanyahu expressed his hope that an agreement will be reached in a few days to release more Israeli hostages held by Hamas, one of the conditions set by Israel as essential for ending the war, along with the cessation of the Palestinian extremist group's activities and the establishment of certain areas in the Strip to set up a so-called ‘humanitarian city’. As indicated by Defence Minister Israel Katz, the aim is to establish a ‘humanitarian city’ on the ruins of the city of Rafah to initially house some 600,000 Palestinians, and eventually the entire population of 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip.
‘I hope that another ten live hostages will be released from the clutches of Hamas within a few days as part of the negotiated ceasefire,’ Netanyahu said in an interview with the US network Newsmax.
‘It has been hell for the 255 hostages held by Hamas terrorists since 7 October 2023,’ added Netanyahu, who recently met with US President Donald Trump to discuss this thorny issue of the Gaza war, among other things. In fact, several analysts pointed out that Trump's political pressure on Netanyahu brought closer the possibility of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which is vital for the release of the hostages. After the summit at the White House, the Israeli prime minister agreed to withdraw troops from an area of Gaza and endorsed the UN's resumption of humanitarian aid distribution, a very important point given the great difficulties facing the Gazan population.
The Israeli prime minister added: "We have 50 hostages left; 20 of them are definitely alive and about 30 are dead, and I want to rescue them all. We now have an agreement that will supposedly release half of the living and half of the dead, so we will have 10 living hostages left and about 12 dead. But I will rescue them too. I hope we can complete the operation in a few days."
Negotiations for a truce in Gaza continue with the mediation of Qatar, the United States and Egypt in Doha. Israel and Hamas are conducting indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of the hostages.
The Israeli prime minister set a deadline of 60 days to reach a deal. ‘We will probably reach a 60-day ceasefire. We will withdraw the first batch and then use these 60 days to try to negotiate an end to this situation. This situation could end tomorrow, today, if Hamas lays down its arms.’
Also on the horizon are the famous Abraham Accords, sealed in September 2020 and sponsored by Donald Trump's first US administration, under which various Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel to pacify the Middle East and promote development in the region. The Israeli state remains confident in this dynamic, as Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed when he said that ‘soon we will achieve peace with our Arab neighbours,’ referring to the Arab countries' accession to the Abraham Accords. In fact, Gideon Saar, Israel's foreign minister, recently signalled the intention to expand the list of nations adhering to the Abraham Accords to continue promoting a more stable situation in the Middle East, with countries such as Syria and Lebanon.
