Israel says Gaza hostage deal may be imminent

Israel is interested in making a deal on the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on December 4.

"The Israeli government wants to make a deal for the release of kidnapped people in Gaza," his message on the social network X (formerly Twitter) said.

Sa'ar also noted that he would like to hold a meeting with the new European Union (EU) foreign minister on the issue.

Earlier, on November 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip, said that Israel is ready to pay the Palestinians $5 million for each hostage released from the hands of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. He also threatened accountability for anyone who harms Israeli hostages.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel, as well as invaded border areas in the south of the country and took hostages. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes against targets in Gaza.