Netanyahu: Ground operation in Gaza facilitates negotiations to free hostages

The release of all the hostages held by Hamas could be on the horizon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that an agreement may have been reached for civilians captured by the terrorist group to be released. However, he did not want to give details so that the negotiations taking place do not fall through.

"We will talk about it when it’s there. We’ll announce it if it’s achievable," he said during an interview on NBC's “Meet the Press.” “I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materializes.”

For the Israeli prime minister, "military pressure" from the ground operation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza was decisive for negotiations to begin to release the more than 200 hostages captured by Hamas. "We heard that there was an impending deal of this kind or of that kind and then we learned that it was all hokum. But the minute we started the ground operation that began to change," he said.

Regarding who should govern Gaza if the terrorist group is defeated, Netanyahu said that it would have to be a "different authority," although he believes that "it is too early to say" because the priority is "defeating Hamas."