13 Aug 2025, 09:26
Netanyahu Confirms Focus on the Release of All Hostages
- Strengthening efforts regarding the ceasefire in Gaza is currently centered on the release of all hostages.
- He warns about the critical situation with hunger in Gaza.
- Israel is carrying out strikes against militants who are disguising themselves as humanitarian workers.
This is reported by NBC News, Asharq Al-Awsat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in an interview that efforts regarding the ceasefire in Gaza are currently focused on a comprehensive agreement that includes the simultaneous release of all remaining hostages, rather than a gradual process.
Arab officials reported to the Associated Press that mediators from Egypt and Qatar are preparing a new agreement that will include the simultaneous release of all hostages in exchange for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Previous indirect negotiations, which lasted a long time, were stalled for several months. Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for negotiations regarding the ceasefire, which indicates that efforts to strengthen the ceasefire have not been abandoned even after 22 months of war.
Israel threatens to expand its military operation against Hamas in the territory of Gaza, which it still does not control, where the majority of the 2 million residents are seeking refuge.
These plans have provoked international condemnation and criticism in Israel and may be aimed at putting pressure on Hamas to achieve a ceasefire. Militants are still holding 50 hostages, abducted during the attack on July 7, 2023, and Israel believes that about 20 of them are alive.
"I want all of them back"
In an interview with the Israeli channel i24, Netanyahu was asked whether there was a possibility for a partial agreement regarding the ceasefire. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, stated that Cairo is still trying to push for an earlier agreement on a 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages, and the arrival of humanitarian aid.
"I think this is in the past," said Netanyahu. "We tried, we made many efforts, but it turned out that we were just being led into a trap."
"I want all of them back," he said regarding the hostages. "The release of all hostages, both living and deceased, is the stage at which we will find ourselves."
He also emphasized that the demands of Israel have not changed, and the war will only end when all hostages are returned, and Hamas capitulates.
He warns about hunger and deprivation
In an interview, the United Nations organization stated that hunger and deprivation in Gaza have reached the highest levels since the beginning of the war. A representative of the UN, Stephen Dujarric, reported that the Ministry of Health in Gaza has recorded five cases of death from deprivation and hunger over the past 24 hours.
The ministry also noted that since the beginning of the war, 121 adults and 101 children have died from causes related to deprivation.
"On this background, humanitarian supplies to Gaza remain significantly lower than the minimum required to satisfy the basic needs of the population," Dujarric stated.
The UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to deliver assistance to Gaza, but are facing serious restrictions and obstacles from Israeli authorities, which hinder the delivery of essential goods and other necessary items in this regard.
Israel carries out strikes against militants who disguise themselves as humanitarian workers
In a separate development, Israeli forces reported that recently they carried out a strike against a group of militants in Gaza who were disguising themselves as humanitarian workers and used a vehicle with the logo of the international charity organization World Central Kitchen.
The military provided video evidence showing that these people had no connection to it.
World Central Kitchen confirmed that these individuals and the vehicle are not linked to them. "We resolutely condemn anyone who presents themselves as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarian workers, as this puts the lives of civilians and humanitarian workers at risk," the organization stated.
The military also released a video recording, in which it shows some individuals in yellow vests, who stand next to a vehicle with the logo of the charity organization. According to military sources, five of these individuals were arrested.
Tags: Middle East/Politics