Israel tells US there is a chance of freeing all Gaza hostages

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz assured his American counterpart Lloyd Austin in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that there is a possibility of signing an agreement to free the hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip after 14 months.

“At this point, there is a possibility of a new agreement, with the hope of freeing all hostages, including those with U.S. citizenship,” Katz said, according to a statement from his office.

Katz also spoke with Austin about the Israeli military's decision to occupy the demilitarized zone in Syria, which borders Israel, following the fall of the al-Assad regime and He told him that the attacks on Syrian territory were intended to counter “the danger that strategic weapons would be used against Israel in the future.”

As for Lebanon, a country with which Israel agreed to a ceasefire on November 26 after a year of fighting, Katz reiterated his stance of “zero tolerance against rape”, despite the fact that both nations accuse each other of violating the clauses of what was agreed.

The United States and Israel, the military statement said, agreed to cooperate to stop any attempt “arms smuggling from Iran to Lebanon, via Syria.”

The talks between the two countries come at a time of optimism about the return to the negotiating table to reach a truce in Gaza, after a stalemate that lasted since August.

According to sources close to the negotiations, An Israeli delegation met with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the deal.Among the hostages proposed for a possible exchange with Palestinian prisoners are women, children, the critically ill and wounded, as well as four hostages with dual Israeli and US citizenship.

Inside the enclave remain 96 of the hostages kidnapped in the Hamas attacks of October 7, of whom at least 34 are dead, according to the Israeli army.

In more than a year of war, Hamas and Israel have only reached one agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages, in November last year. 105 of the 251 kidnapped on October 7 were then released in exchange for 240 Palestinian terrorist prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Agencies contributed to this Aurora article.