Gallant tells families of Hamas captives Israel ‘closer than ever’ to hostage-truce deal – TV report

4 July 2024, 8:32 pm

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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at an honor cordon before a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (not in picture), at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, June 25, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 that Israel is “closer than ever” to closing a deal to secure their release from captivity, Channel 12 reports.

“A month ago I was pessimistic about our chances of reaching a deal anytime soon. One of my prime goals in all of my meetings in the United States was to put pressure on Hamas to come to a deal with the understanding that there’s not going to be a better deal,” he is quoted as saying.

“Today, and I’m saying this cautiously, we’re closer than ever.”

The report comes as the security cabinet is meeting to discuss Israel’s position on the latest hostage-ceasefire proposal on the table, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to send a delegation to the next round of indirect negotiations.