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Israel’s Defense Chief Says Hostage Deal ‘Closer Than Ever’
Israelis protest against the government and to show support for the hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told lawmakers in parliament on Monday that Jerusalem is “closer than ever” to reaching a deal that would free hostages in Gaza.
“Israel is closer than ever to another hostage deal,” Katz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to Israeli media reports. “There’s flexibility on the other side. They understand we’re not going to end the war.”
Katz reportedly added that “it is better to talk less” about ongoing negotiations but noted that at no point has an agreement been more in reach since November 2023, when Israel and Hamas reached a brief ceasefire during which over 100 hostages were released.
His comments were made during discussions behind closed doors that were subsequently leaked to Hebrew-language press.
According to the reports, Katz predicted that the deal on the table will be supported by most of Israel’s governing coalition and likely not be blocked.
Separately, an anonymous senior Hamas official told the Saudi news outlet Asharq that both sides were closing in on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
“We are closer than ever to reaching a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire, provided that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu does not obstruct the agreement,” the official said.
Israel Hayom also reported that progress has been made in the talks, citing Israeli officials. One source familiar with the negotiations told the news outlet that a hostages-for-ceasefire deal could be completed by the Jewish festival of Hanukkah later this month, with its implementation spread over an extended period.
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists kidnapped over 250 hostages during their invasion of and massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7, dragging the captives into neighboring Gaza. Israel responded to the onslaught with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.
For months, the US, Egypt, and Qatar have unsuccessfully tried to broker a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between the two sides. In recent days, however, there have been signs that stalled negotiations might be revived and a breakthrough is possible.
Since Hamas’s invasion last year, 109 of the 251 hostages have been released, mostly during the week-long truce in late November 2023. Eight others have been rescued alive, and the bodies of 38 have been recovered.
Israel believes 100 hostages remain in Gaza, including 96 who were kidnapped last Oct. 7, and at least a third of them have been declared dead by the Israeli military.
Katz told his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a phone call last week that there was a real chance to reach a deal to release all the remaining hostages held in Gaza, including those with American citizenship.
Earlier this month, US President-elect Donald Trump vowed there will be “all hell to pay” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release all of the remaining hostages in Gaza before his inauguration next month.
Trump and Netanyahu reportedly discussed a potential ceasefire and hostage deal over the weekend.
“We will continue to act relentlessly to return home all of our hostages, the living and the deceased. Let me add that the less we discuss this the better, and so, with God’s help, we will succeed,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.