Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested on Sunday that an agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip was possible. He told American network NBC News:
I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materializes.
Asked about the whereabouts of all the hostages, Netanyahu said:
We know a great deal, but I won’t go beyond that.
The Israeli prime minister emphasised that any agreement with Hamas would be reached as a result of “military pressure”. He added:
That’s the one thing that might create a deal and if a deal is available. Well, we will talk about it when it’s there. We’ll announce it if it’s achievable.
Discussing the future governance of the Gaza Strip after the end of the conflict, Netanyahu suggested that a change of authority might be necessary. However, he did not specify in what form the change of authority might take, adding that the US would oppose the Israeli occupation of Gaza.
Meanwhile, a Biden administration official told NBC on Sunday that a deal was being considered to release about 80 women and children in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel. The official also said the US was looking at other potential options and it was unclear whether it would succeed.
Israel previously exchanged more than 1,000 Palestinians in order to free a single captured Israeli soldier.
Hamas took control of Gaza — a narrow strip of land wedged between Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea that is roughly the size of Washington, D.C. — after it gained control by winning an election there in 2006.
However Israel has kept a land, air and sea blockade on Gaza since 2007, despite demands from the United Nations and human rights groups to lift it due the devastating impact it has had on Palestinian civilians. Israel has said the blockade, which allows it to control Gaza’s borders and is also enforced by Egypt, is needed to protect Israeli citizens from Hamas.
