US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that there is a “good chance” that there would be a deal with Hamas this week that would secure the release of some of the remaining hostages.
Trump also said that he will discuss the issue of a permanent deal with Iran with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the two meet in the White House on Monday.
“We're working on a lot of things with Israel. One of the things is probably a permanent deal with Iran. In other words, they have to give up all of the things that you know so well,” said Trump, who once again stated that the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities resulted in “a complete and total obliteration.”
Asked about a potential deal with Hamas, the President replied, “I think we're close to a deal on Gaza. “We could have it this week. I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the coming week, pertaining to quite a few of the hostages.”
“You know, we've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out. We think we'll have that done this week,” he reiterated.
Speaking earlier on Sunday before he took off for Washington, Netanyahu said, “I will thank President Trump for his strong support of Israel. There has never been such a friend in the White House. This support led to a tremendous victory over our rival, Iran."
"The commitment is to stand guard and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. There is an opportunity to broaden the circle of peace. There is an opportunity and an ability to bring a great future for the people of Israel and the Middle East," he added.
Regarding the campaign in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu declared that Israel will not give up on the war's objectives. "There are great achievements and missions that must be accomplished. We freed hostages. There are 20 living hostages and 30 deceased ones left. I am determined to return them all, and for Gaza not to be a threat to Israel.”
"We will not allow the encouragement of hostage taking and murder - that means the elimination of Hamas's military capabilities. I am committed to all the objectives, and we will achieve them with our soldiers and the correct and bold decisions that we've made," stated the Prime Minister.
Hamas announced on Friday night that it had submitted a positive response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal but was seeking what it described as some “minor amendments”.
On Saturday night, Netanyahu’s office clarified that “the changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel.”
“In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages - on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to - be continued,” the statement added.
The negotiating team will leave on Sunday for the talks in Qatar, it continued.