Representatives of the Hostages Families Forum met on Sunday with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Present at the meeting were: Malki Shem Tov, father of Omer Shem Tov; Sharon Sharabi, brother of the late Yossi and Eli Sharabi; Shir Siegel, daughter of Keith Siegel; Lishay Lavi Miran, wife of Omri Miran; Udi Goren, cousin of the late Tal Haimi; and Gil Dickmann, cousin of the late Carmel Gat.
"We heard from the Prime Minister that the time has ripened for a hostage release deal. We urged him to act now for the release of all hostages - both living and deceased. We reiterated that all cases are humanitarian," the family members stated.
"The Prime Minister acknowledged that the hostages will only return through a negotiated deal and that he is willing to accept a ceasefire to advance the return of hostages. What worked in the north will work in the south. He indicated there are reasons for optimism. We called on him not to miss opportunities as may have happened in the past. The Prime Minister promised that coalition considerations would not influence the hostage return issue, stating: 'Coalition considerations are nonsense,'" they continued.
They noted that The Prime Minister "mentioned several possible frameworks, though it wasn't made clear to us which framework is currently being pursued. Regarding the deceased, the Prime Minister promised that the return of bodies would be incorporated into different stages of the agreement, without compromising the return of living hostages.
They concluded that "we understand from the Prime Minister that he recognizes significant progress in the ability to reach a deal. We requested regular meetings with the Prime Minister between developments. We hope to hear of progress in the coming days."