Israel ‘closest ever’ to making a deal for release of hostages in Gaza? What defence minister said
Hindustan TimesIsrael's defence minister Israel Katz has said that Israeli negotiators have “never been closer” to a deal for the release of hostages in Gaza since the November 2023 truce in the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, news agency AFP has reported. This handout picture released by the Government Press Office shows Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and army Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi during a briefing in the Netzarim Corridor, on November 19, 2024. "We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the previous deal," Katz told members of the Israeli parliament's foreign affairs committee, according to his spokesman. "But Hamas stressed at the same time that it will not accept anything less than an agreement that leads to a complete and permanent cessation of the war, a full withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes, the return of the displaced, and a serious prisoner exchange deal."