Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday discussed a possible deal to free the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7., Gaza’s governance following the war, and death toll figures produced by Gaza officials in an interview on “Meet the Press.”
Netanyahu told “Meet the Press” that there “could be” a potential hostage deal with Hamas but declined to give any further details, saying doing so could thwart the delicate negotiations to free those taken captive by the militant group. “I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materializes,” he said in the interview.
It has been just over a month since Hamas launched its terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7 in a brutal ambush that saw more than 1,200 killed and around 220 people taken hostage.
In the weeks that have followed, Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza in response has seen more than 11,000 people killed, while more than 1.6 million people have been displaced, according to health officials in the besieged enclave and estimates from the United Nations.
Potential hostage deal
Asked by host Kristen Welker about how close Israel was to getting the hostages out, Netanyahu said that no deal had been close