Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz expressed on Wednesday optimism about reaching an agreement regarding detainees held by the resistance in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media quoted Katz as saying that pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is increasing, and “we will really be able to conclude an agreement on the hostages” at the present time.
In a video clip broadcast two days ago, Hamas announced the killing of 33 Israeli prisoners who were being held by it, as most of them died due to the Israeli occupation army’s bombing of various areas of the Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression in October 2023.
For his part, US President-elect Donald Trump threatened last Monday with “hell in the Middle East if the detainees in Gaza are not released before his inauguration on January 20.”
Trump said, in a post on social media platforms, “The officials will receive more severe blows than any person has received in the long and rich history of the United States of America… Release the prisoners now.”
Hamas calls for an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip within the framework of any agreement to release the remaining prisoners, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on continuing the war until Hamas is eliminated and ensures that it does not pose a threat to Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian resistance factions detained about 251 Israelis, according to Israeli estimates. About 105 people, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thais, and one Filipino, were released in an exchange deal in November 2023.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its aggression, leaving more than 149,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and the elderly.
