“We now expect the first phase [of the Trump peace plan] to be carried out in the near future, including the immediate release of all the hostages,” Katz said during a ceremony marking the 52nd anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
“The IDF is in the heart of Gaza City and is ready for any possibility,” he continued. “If Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the IDF will once again step up the intensity of fire until its defeat and all captives are freed.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Jerusalem expects the release of the hostages as early as this week.
Israel hopes that “already during the Sukkot holiday, we can announce the return of all the hostages, with the IDF remaining in the depths of the Gaza Strip in various areas,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, speaking in the wake of Hamas’s response to the U.S. proposal. During the first phase, Israeli forces will continue to hold the areas that they captured during the almost 24-month-long war in Gaza, he said. (Read More)
