Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured this Sunday that “there could be” an agreement for the release of the more than 200 hostages. that Hamas took from Israel in the attack on October 7.
In an interview with NBC News, Netanyahu assured that an agreement is possible, although he did not reveal more details, stating that releasing more information could affect the ongoing negotiations for the release of those held in the Gaza Strip.
“The less I say about it, the better the chances of it coming to fruition,” he said in the interview.
According to Netanyahu, the agreement did not advance until Israeli forces began their ground operation in northern Gaza and will be announced if it is achieved.
“Any agreement was the result of pressure, military pressure. That is the only thing that could create an agreement. And if there is an agreement available, well, we will talk about it when it is there. We will announce it if it is possible,” he said.
(Also read: Arab countries call for an end to the war in Gaza: ‘There will be no peace without a Palestinian State’)
A US official also stated this Sunday that it is possible to reach an agreement for Hamas to release some of the hostages it took during the October 7 attacks on Israel, in exchange for a similar gesture from Israel. The timing of the agreement is still uncertain.
The Biden administration official told NBC of the possibility of a deal that would see Hamas free about 80 Israeli hostages, Women and children.
There is no certainty that the ongoing talks will yield results, NBC reported, without identifying the official, who added that the US is also exploring other options.
(Also: Anti-Semitism resurfaces after Hamas attacks on Israel: what is it and how to address it?)
And the fact is that for days a possible release of hostages has been negotiated. Egypt and Qatar are also mediating with Hamas and Israel to achieve a ceasefire between one and three days in exchange for the release of between 10 and 15 hostages, half of them Americans, according to two sources familiar with the status of the talks.
However, The sources pointed out that there are disagreements about the term of this pause, since Hamas demands a truce of no less than a week, while Israel insists that it last only three days.
For now, there are contradictory versions about the progress of the talks for the release of Hostages, since other sources They told Reuters that Hamas will suspend negotiations due to the attacks taking place near the Al Shifa hospital.
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