‘Family representatives asked Netanyahu for a deal that guarantees the return of the last detainee from Gaza with a predetermined method and date,' reports Israeli daily
Families of Israeli hostages on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a deal that ensures the return of all those held in Gaza, with a clear method and timeline.
During a meeting at Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that "the family representatives asked Netanyahu for a deal that guarantees the return of the last detainee from Gaza with a predetermined method and date."
Meanwhile, the Israeli Channel 12 reported that the families' representatives who met with Netanyahu informed other families that "the prime minister made it clear to us that the negotiations are focused on a deal that includes everyone."
Several families of hostages who are not expected to be released during the first phase of the deal staged a protest demonstration outside Netanyahu's office, the broadcaster said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Qatar said Gaza cease-fire negotiations are "in the final stages" and that an agreement is "imminent."
“A draft agreement has been handed to both Hamas and Israel, and major obstacles on key contentious issues between the two sides have been addressed,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a press conference in Doha.
Israel has continued its war on Gaza, which has killed more than 46,600 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
