Netanyahu says diplomatic, military pressure compels Hamas to free hostages as talks move to Egypt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday evening that Israel was approaching a major breakthrough, raising hopes that the remaining hostages held in Gaza could soon be returned home.

In a five-minute televised address, Netanyahu insisted that Hamas’s agreement to release hostages came only as a result of military and diplomatic pressure exerted by him and US President Donald Trump.

“I hope that in the coming days we will be able to bring back all our hostages… during the Sukkot holidays,” Netanyahu said, noting that the combined pressure had compelled Hamas to act.

The Jewish festival of Sukkot begins on Monday and continues for one week.

Earlier Saturday, a hospital official said Israeli bombing of Gaza City had “significantly subsided,” though at least five Palestinians were killed.

Israel’s army meanwhile said the country’s leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza.

Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record. The official said no forces have been removed from the territory.

Still, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah told the AP that Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City, while bombing had “significantly subsided.”

The army statement came hours after President Donald Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza once Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan. Trump welcomed the Hamas statement but on Saturday warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.” He noted that Israel had “temporarily stopped the bombing.”

Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the attack that sparked it. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support.

On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Netanyahu is under increasing pressure to end the conflict. The official told the AP that Netanyahu put out the rare late-night statement on the Sabbath, saying that Israel has started to prepare for Trump’s plan due to pressure from the U.S.

The official also said a negotiating team was getting ready to travel. Egypt’s state-run broadcaster Al-Qahera News, which is close to security agencies, reported that indirect talks between Hamas and Israel will start Sunday.

A senior Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the U.S. negotiating team in the talks to release the Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli detention. The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media.

The official involved in the ceasefire negotiations also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position toward Gaza’s future.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas’ response to the Trump plan. The group had rejected the proposal days earlier.

Progress, but uncertainty ahead

Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It also would give up power and disarm.

In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.

Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Its statement also didn’t address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing, a key part of the deal.

Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn’t lay down its arms.

Others said that while Hamas suggests a willingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged.

This “yes, but” rhetoric “simply repackages old demands in softer language,” said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, who asserted that it serves more as a smoke screen than a signal of true movement toward resolution.

Still, some Israelis expressed cautious hope.

A group representing some families of hostages said the prospect of seeing loved ones return “has never been closer.” They appealed to Trump to keep pushing “with full force” and warned that “extremists on both sides” will try to sabotage the plan.

Meanwhile, protests have erupted across Europe calling for the war’s end.

Unclear what it means for Palestinians

Palestinians in Gaza tried to piece together what the plan means in real terms.

“We want practical implementation. We want a truce on the ground,” said Sameer Qudeeh in Khan Younis. He worried that talks will break down again.

“I hope Hamas ends the war, because we are truly tired,” said Mohammad Shaat in Khan Younis, as anxious Palestinians roamed the shattered streets.

Israeli troops were still laying siege to Gaza City, the focus of its latest offensive. On Saturday, Israel’s army warned Palestinians against trying to return to the city, calling it a “dangerous combat zone.”

Two Gaza City residents told the AP that since the morning, Israeli tanks and troops had not advanced but artillery shells and airstrikes were still heard.

“We can still see the quadcopters everywhere,” Mohamed al-Nashar said.

In southern Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said its Saraya field hospital received 10 bodies and over 70 injured after Israeli strikes on Saturday afternoon.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the war has topped 67,000. The toll jumped after the ministry said it added more than 700 names to the list whose data had been verified.

The Health Ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

With inputs from agencies

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