US President Donald Trump on Thursday stated that progress was being made on the return of hostages held in Gaza. He mentioned that he was engaging with both Israel and Hamas, though he did not provide any additional details about the negotiations.
Talking to the media, Trump said,”We’re getting close to getting them back.A lot came back. A lot of people are very grateful. Some came back in pretty bad shape. They’re okay. I think they’re going to be scarred mentally for a long time because if you sit down and talk to them, as I have, what they went through is incredible.”
“We’re dealing with Israel, we’re dealing with Hamas, and it’s a nasty group, but we’re making progress”, he later added.
Supporting the reports, Kan radio stated on Friday that Israel and Egypt had exchanged draft documents concerning a potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
The drafts reportedly aim to reconcile differences between an Egyptian compromise proposal and a plan put forward by Steve Witkoff, US special envoy.
As reported by Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evaluated the current situation of the hostages along with his negotiators and security chiefs on Thursday, which also included his meeting with the family members of Rom Braslavski and Elkana Bohbot.
The statement further added that PM Netanyahu informed the families about the ongoing negotiations for the release of the hostages.
His office added that PM Netanyahu "reaffirmed his commitment to fulfilling all the objectives of the war: securing the return of all hostages, dismantling Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel."
The Egyptian proposal, reported earlier this week, calls for the release of eight living hostages along with the bodies of eight deceased hostages, in return for a truce lasting between 40 and 70 days and the release of a significant number of Palestinian prisoners, including terrorists.
In contrast, Witkoff's plan, presented last month, suggests a two-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of five hostages and a large-scale release of Palestinian security prisoners.
The hostages were taken on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a large-scale attack in Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 individuals to the Gaza Strip.
Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday that at least 1,522 Palestinians have been killed in the renewed Israeli operations since March 18, taking the overall death toll since the start of the war to 50,886.
During a weeklong truce in November 2023, Hamas released 105 civilians. Prior to that, four hostages had been freed in the early weeks of the war. Between January and March, during another temporary ceasefire, Hamas released 30 hostages—including 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals—as well as the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives. In return, Israel released around 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazans arrested during the conflict.
The agreement initially envisioned negotiations for a second and third phase, which would involve the release of all remaining hostages, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and an end to the war. However, the truce broke down after the first phase: Israel declined to proceed with talks on the subsequent terms, and Hamas refused to prolong the ceasefire, prompting Israel to resume its military operations in Gaza.
As of now, it is believed that 24 hostages are still alive in Gaza, while Israel has confirmed the deaths of 35 others.
Talking to the media, Trump said,”We’re getting close to getting them back.A lot came back. A lot of people are very grateful. Some came back in pretty bad shape. They’re okay. I think they’re going to be scarred mentally for a long time because if you sit down and talk to them, as I have, what they went through is incredible.”
“We’re dealing with Israel, we’re dealing with Hamas, and it’s a nasty group, but we’re making progress”, he later added.
Supporting the reports, Kan radio stated on Friday that Israel and Egypt had exchanged draft documents concerning a potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
The drafts reportedly aim to reconcile differences between an Egyptian compromise proposal and a plan put forward by Steve Witkoff, US special envoy.
As reported by Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evaluated the current situation of the hostages along with his negotiators and security chiefs on Thursday, which also included his meeting with the family members of Rom Braslavski and Elkana Bohbot.
The statement further added that PM Netanyahu informed the families about the ongoing negotiations for the release of the hostages.
His office added that PM Netanyahu "reaffirmed his commitment to fulfilling all the objectives of the war: securing the return of all hostages, dismantling Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel."
The Egyptian proposal, reported earlier this week, calls for the release of eight living hostages along with the bodies of eight deceased hostages, in return for a truce lasting between 40 and 70 days and the release of a significant number of Palestinian prisoners, including terrorists.
In contrast, Witkoff's plan, presented last month, suggests a two-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of five hostages and a large-scale release of Palestinian security prisoners.
The hostages were taken on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a large-scale attack in Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 individuals to the Gaza Strip.
Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday that at least 1,522 Palestinians have been killed in the renewed Israeli operations since March 18, taking the overall death toll since the start of the war to 50,886.
During a weeklong truce in November 2023, Hamas released 105 civilians. Prior to that, four hostages had been freed in the early weeks of the war. Between January and March, during another temporary ceasefire, Hamas released 30 hostages—including 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals—as well as the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives. In return, Israel released around 2,000 Palestinian detainees, including terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazans arrested during the conflict.
The agreement initially envisioned negotiations for a second and third phase, which would involve the release of all remaining hostages, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and an end to the war. However, the truce broke down after the first phase: Israel declined to proceed with talks on the subsequent terms, and Hamas refused to prolong the ceasefire, prompting Israel to resume its military operations in Gaza.
As of now, it is believed that 24 hostages are still alive in Gaza, while Israel has confirmed the deaths of 35 others.
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