Netanyahu says he is ready for a cease-fire to free the hostages

Israel is ready for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for the sake of a hostage release deal. This was announced on May 21 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference in Jerusalem.

"There are definitely about 20 hostages left alive... If there is a possibility of a temporary ceasefire, we are ready for it," Netanyahu said at the event, which was broadcast on the Sky News YouTube channel.

The prime minister added that Israel would be ready to end the war in Gaza if all hostages were released, the enclave was completely demilitarized, and the Hamas movement left the Gaza Strip. After the completion of Operation Gideon's Chariots, Israel will take control of all of Gaza, Netanyahu stressed.

Phase two shift: Israel and Hamas plan to extend truce deal

At the same time, Tel Aviv refuses to fulfill one of the key conditions of the first stage of the agreements.

Earlier, on May 15, the Axios portal announced the agreement of the Israeli government to resume the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. It is specified that this was a key condition of the new Humanitarian Fund for Gaza (GHF), created with the support of Washington and Tel Aviv. GHF has already announced that it will begin operations in Gaza by the end of the month.