Netanyahu: “Progress on Prisoner Swap”
According to a statement from the Prime Ministry’s press office, the family representatives of prisoners in the Gaza Strip met for the first time with representatives in the United States. Arguing that “the conditions for the return of the prisoners have matured because they are putting pressure on” Hamas, Netanyahu noted that bringing the prisoners home has been one of the goals of the attacks on the Gaza Strip that have been ongoing since October 7.
In his statement after the meeting, Netanyahu said that the attacks against Hamas would not be abandoned, and claimed that abandoning the attacks against Hamas would endanger Israel in the face of Iran.
Commenting on the ongoing indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel regarding the prisoner swap and ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said, “Conditions are undoubtedly maturing regarding the agreement. This is a good sign.”
Netanyahu noted that he believed that they could reach an agreement if they were determined to continue the negotiations, and said, “I am saying in advance that this is a process. Unfortunately, not everything will happen at once, there will be stages. However , I believe that we can move forward with the agreement and that it will give us the strength to release the remaining hostages.”
It is reported that there are 116 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, and 44 of them are estimated to be dead.
