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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for deeper solidarity among Turkic states amid rising geopolitical tensions and rapid technologi...
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is participating in the informal summit of the ...
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has “no trust” in the United States and will only consider negotiations if Was...
Uzbekistan’s Department for Combating Economic Crimes says it has uncovered a ...
The 13th edition of the World Urban Forum, due to begin in Baku on Sunday (17 May), is an ideal opportunity for Azerbaijan to show the world what s...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for deeper solidarity among Turkic states amid rising geopolitical tensions and rapid technological change.
Uzbekistan’s Department for Combating Economic Crimes says it has uncovered a large-scale fraud and corruption scheme linked to labour migration to South Korea, with estimated damages reaching $90 million.
The 13th edition of the World Urban Forum, due to begin in Baku on Sunday (17 May), is an ideal opportunity for Azerbaijan to show the world what successful post-conflict urban development looks like, a representative for the conference has said.
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the U.S. military blockade of Iran’s southern ports could trigger a new global financial crisis as the Tehran-Washington standoff around the strategic Strait of Hormuz persists.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran loomed over U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China, as signs emerged that the conflict is causing a shift in alliances across the Middle East.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has “no trust” in the United States and will only consider negotiations if Washington shows seriousness. His remarks came as talks on Iran’s nuclear programme continued, with Trump and Xi also opposing Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
When Donald Trump boarded Air Force One for Beijing on Tuesday, he brought two cabinet members whose presence in China would have seemed unlikely a year ago, highlighting an unusual moment in U.S.–China relations.
The Eurovision Song Contest opened in Vienna on Tuesday amid heightened political tensions, as Israel competed in the first semi-final despite a boycott by five European broadcasters over the war in Gaza.
The Spanish government has issued a defiant message to Silicon Valley, confirming it will push ahead with stringent new legislation designed to make social networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrably safer.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Every day, an elderly woman in China’s Shandong province looks forward to a video call from her son. He asks about her health, tells her he has been busy with work, and promises he will come home once he has saved enough money. She tells him she misses him. He tells her to take care of herself.
Deep in the ancient forests of southern China, researchers have discovered a small, shy snake with an extraordinary survival trick: when threatened, it creates the illusion that it has two heads.
A U.S. Department of Justice official said Washington was preparing to indict former Cuban president Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of aircraft operated by "Brothers to the Rescue", a Miami-based exile group that conducted search-and-rescue flights for Cuban migrants.
Australian citizens evacuated from a Dutch-flagged cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have returned home after two weeks overseas. The passengers will now undergo quarantine and further testing in Western Australia.
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