Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu estimated on Thursday that the residents of northern Israel would be able to return to their homes once they understand that the calm on the border is stable and the ceasefire deal is enforced.
"The threat in the north has been removed. We will work to convince not just our enemies, but also our residents. They will return gradually when they feel it correct," Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14.
He noted that since Yahya Sinwar's elimination and the disconnection between the Gazan and Lebanese fronts, the conditions for a hostage deal have changed. "I think the conditions have changed for the better, not just because of the disconnection between the fronts, but also because of Sinwar's elimination."
"Hamas hoped that Iran would come to rescue it; that didn't happen. It hoped the Houthis would come to rescue it; that didn't happen. But above all, it hoped that Hezbollah would come to rescue it, and indeed Nasrallah said already on the second day, when he attacked, that 'we would continue until Israel stops its attacks on Hamas.'"