Netanyahu announces date for finalizing ‘prisoner swap deal’ in Gaza
Last Updated on January 16, 2025 6:34 am
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinian independence movement Hamas could be finalized “in a few days or hours.”
Israeli media outlets including Channel 12 and Yedioth Ahronoth reported his comments on Wednesday.
After a meeting with the families of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday, Netanyahu said, “I am ready for a long-term ceasefire. But the condition is that all the hostages are returned.”
The Israeli prime minister added, “It is a matter of days or hours. We are waiting for Hamas’s response. We can start it immediately if we get a response.”
Netanyahu, of course, rejected previous ceasefire proposals. However, this time, under pressure from all sides, he has become desperate to implement the agreement with Hamas.
He reiterated today that the progress of this agreement depends entirely on Hamas’ response.
The Israeli prime minister also warned that “any violation of the ceasefire will be met with a strong and strong response. And it will be a kind of war that has not been seen before.”
Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu will hold an emergency meeting of his country’s security council on Wednesday to discuss the agreement.
Earlier, Hamas said that the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza were in the “final stages.”
The mediator country Qatar said that the Gaza ceasefire talks were in the “final stages” and that the announcement of the agreement was “very close.”
It is reported that Israel currently holds more than 10,300 Palestinians. On the other hand, it is estimated that 98 Israelis are being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas has reported that many Israeli prisoners have been killed in Israeli shelling.
The prisoner exchange and ceasefire talks were mainly mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. However, it has been disrupted several times due to Netanyahu’s new conditions.
Israel’s opposition and the families of the prisoners have also accused Netanyahu of obstructing the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Incidentally, Israel has been carrying out a genocidal aggression in Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. In which more than 46,700 Palestinians have been killed so far, most of them women and children.
The UN Security Council, however, called for an immediate ceasefire. Despite this, the occupying Israel has continued this aggression for more than 15 months.
Meanwhile, in November last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for the aggression in Gaza.
Source: Anadolu Agency