By Aaron Boxerman, Natan Odenheimer and Adam Rasgon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night that Israel was “on the brink of a great achievement” and that he hoped to announce soon that the remaining Israeli hostages will be coming home from the Gaza Strip.
In a short speech in which he repeatedly rebuked those who have long demanded an end to the conflict in hopes of a hostage release, Mr. Netanyahu insisted that Hamas was only willing to free the hostages now because of the military and political pressure that he and President Trump had applied.
“I withstood immense pressure from home and abroad to end the war,” he said.
The prime minister’s speech came after Israel and Hamas had signaled a readiness to move forward with parts of President Trump’s cease-fire plan in what many hoped would lead to a diplomatic breakthrough.
Significant gaps still need to be negotiated to bring an end to the war in Gaza, but there have been hopeful signs over the last 24 hours. On Friday, Hamas said that it was ready to release all of its remaining hostages in exchange for prisoners in Israel, a key part of the White House peace plan, but the group did not directly address many other demands in it, including that they disarm and take no role in the postwar government of Gaza.
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