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Saturday, October 4, 2025
Netanyahu: I’m hopeful we’ll see the return of all the hostages in the next few days, even during Sukkot
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a short video statement that he hopes Israel will see the return of all the hostages held in Gaza in the next few days.
Israel is “on the brink of a very big achievement,” he says. “It’s still not final. We are working hard on it.”
“I hope that, with God’s help, in the coming days, even during the Sukkot holiday, we will be able to announce the return of all the hostages — the living and the slain, in one go, with the IDF still deployed deep in Gaza.” The week-long Sukkot festival begins on Monday evening.
Netanyahu blasts senior officials who argued that it would be impossible to get all the hostages back without leaving Gaza entirely.
Israel has recovered 207 hostages to this stage, he stresses.
“But I never gave up on the rest of the hostages. And I never gave up on the rest of the war aims,” he says.
Netanyahu says he coordinated, with US President Donald Trump, “a diplomatic move that turned the situation on its head,” while IDF troops were pressing into Gaza City. “Instead of Israel being isolated, Hamas will be isolated,” he says.
In the first stage, he says, all the hostages will be released and the IDF will redeploy to positions that allow it to continue to oversee Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.