Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that progress had been made in hostage talks with Hamas in Gaza, but he did not know how long it would take to see results.
Speaking in the Israeli Knesset, Netanyahu said Israel had made “major achievements” militarily on several fronts and that military pressure on Hamas had led its leaders to soften their previous demands, Reuters reported.
He said Israel had strengthened its position as a “regional power” and planned to expand the Abraham Accords with Israel’s “American ally.”
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, launched a cross-border attack into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which, according to Israeli figures, about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were kidnapped.
More than 100 hostages have since been freed through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations.
Of the 96 hostages still being held in Gaza, Israel believes 62 are still alive.
