US President Donald Trump on Friday night announced that an additional release of ten hostages from Gaza is expected soon, though he did not provide specific timelines.
He made the remarks during a dinner with lawmakers at the White House, where he praised the efforts of his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
"We got most of the hostages back. We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly," Trump said.
On Friday, a senior diplomatic source said that Israel has made "significant progress" over the past two weeks in efforts to reach a hostage deal with the Hamas terrorist organization.
However, the source noted that negotiations continue to face serious challenges. "Hamas is behaving as though time is on its side, but it will find the battlefield tells a different story," the source warned.
Despite the hurdles, the Israeli delegation remains in Qatar. “The situation cannot be described as either pessimistic or optimistic,” the source said. “But we must be realistic about Hamas's conduct.”
The source questioned Hamas's intentions. “We are approaching a critical juncture. Hamas’s foot-dragging, even if it believes it serves its interests, may ultimately work against it.”