Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a new agreement with Hamas could soon lead to the release of more hostages. Speaking in an interview on Newsmax's The Record with Greta Van Susteren, he expressed hope that the deal could be finalised within days.
Netanyahu said that 50 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, but only 20 are believed to still be alive.
“I want to bring all of them back,” he said. “This deal would potentially return half of the living and half of the deceased. That would leave us with 10 living and around 12 dead still in Gaza but I’ll bring them back, too.”
The 7 October, 2023 Hamas assault on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and 251 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli data. Since then, Israel's response has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
There have been two ceasefires so far, one in November 2023 and another in January 2025. Netanyahu indicated that a new 60-day ceasefire is likely, which could serve as a basis for broader peace talks.
Israel says Hamas has outlined obstacles to a deal including demands for increased humanitarian aid, Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, and solid assurances of a permanent ceasefire.
Netanyahu gave the interview during his third visit to Washington since President Donald Trump returned to office in January. He praised Trump, calling him “an unparalleled friend and supporter of Israel.”
The Israeli leader also addressed last month’s joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which Trump claimed had destroyed three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Netanyahu said Iran had been only months away from producing nuclear weapons. However Iran has always denied this, and has said it does not intend to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran has said its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
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