Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening he hopes to announce the release of all hostages held in Gaza “in the coming days,” as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resume in Egypt under a U.S.-backed peace plan.
Netanyahu made the remark in a brief televised statement, adding that he had dispatched an Israeli delegation to Egypt to “finalize technical details” and aimed to restrict the negotiations to a short timeframe of a few days.
He also reiterated Israel’s position that Hamas must be disarmed and Gaza demilitarised—either through diplomatic means or, if necessary, by force. “Either the easy way or the hard way, but it will be achieved,” he said.
His remarks came shortly after Hamas issued a statement indicating willingness to release all remaining Israeli hostages under a U.S. peace proposal, though notably omitting any commitment to disarm.
Hamas, for its part, accused Israel on Saturday of continuing “massacres” in Gaza and urged the international community to pressure Israel over its military operations.
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Indirect ceasefire and hostage-release talks are due to resume in Egypt on Monday. Mediators hope to build on the fragile agreement reached between the parties.
For Israel, military withdrawal from Gaza is off the table in this phase, Netanyahu asserted, even as Hamas has long demanded full withdrawal. The prime minister said Israeli forces would continue to hold key territories in Gaza while moving forward with the hostages plan.
Hamas, while accepting parts of the U.S. proposal, has so far avoided mentioning disarmament or fully agreeing on Gaza’s future governance—elements that remain stumbling blocks.
Domestically, Netanyahu faces internal pressure: some far-right ministers have threatened to quit his coalition if the war ends without Hamas’s total defeat, which could trigger a government collapse.
Public sentiment, however, tilts toward a deal. Polls consistently show that many Israelis support a hostage-exchange agreement even if it falls short of full victory.
Among families of captives, there is guarded hope. Vicky Cohen, whose son Nimrod remains among an estimated 20 believed alive in Gaza, told the BBC: “I feel hope that soon I will see Nimrod and I can hug [him] again,” while cautioning that the situation is fragile.
Past attempts at a hostage swap faltered over core issues: Israel has insisted on guarantees that Hamas will not rearm, while Hamas has demanded Israeli withdrawal and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after releases.
There is also political mistrust. Critics accuse Netanyahu of stalling for political gain, prolonging the conflict to appease hardliners in his coalition.
