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| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Photo: Reuters |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there had been "some progress" in talks to free Palestinian hostages from the Gaza Strip, speaking to lawmakers in the Israeli parliament on Monday.
Netanyahu made the announcement in parliament two days after Palestinian armed groups also reported progress on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
Israel has been at war with the Palestinian independence movement Hamas in Gaza for more than 14 months.
Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. On that day, 251 people were taken hostage from Israel and taken to Gaza. Of these, 96 are still being held hostage. The Israeli military claims that 34 have died. The others were released during previous ceasefires.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have been held in Doha in recent days, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, to secure the release of the remaining hostages. The talks have raised hopes of an agreement.
In this regard, the Israeli Prime Minister said in parliament yesterday, "I cannot reveal all the initiatives we have taken. We are taking steps to bring them back. I want to say cautiously that there has been some progress in this regard and we will not stop until they are all returned home."
The Israeli prime minister added, "To the families of the hostages, I want to say that we are thinking of you and we will not give up hope of getting your loved ones back. They are loved by us too."
The families of the hostages have questioned the government's sincerity in negotiating a ceasefire to free them. Critics have long accused Netanyahu of stalling the talks, prolonging the war to appease his right-wing coalition partners.
Last Saturday, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced progress in the talks.
Negotiations between the two sides have faced multiple challenges since a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. The issue of ensuring a lasting ceasefire is the main cause of the dispute. Another unresolved issue is what the post-war governance of the region will be.
The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, said the fate of some prisoners depends on how Israeli forces carry out their attacks in the future.