Netanyahu hints at imminent deal for hostages in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages held in Gaza that a deal that would secure their loved ones' release could be nearing, his office said on Tuesday.

"The conditions are undoubtedly ripening. This is a good sign," Netanyahu told the families on Monday in Washington, where was expected to meet US President Joe Biden later this week after making an address to Congress.

Efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal, outlined by Biden in May and mediated by Egypt and Qatar, have gained momentum over the past month. On Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said negotiators were "driving toward the goal line."

Ruby Chen, father of dual US-Israeli citizen Itai Chen, a soldier whose body is being held in Gaza, was one of the family members who met with Netanyahu.
"He did say that conditions were ripening but I'm taking that with a pinch of salt," Chen told Israeli Army Radio.

Chen said he hoped Biden, who withdrew his bid for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate in the November vote, would apply more pressure on Netanyahu to secure the deal.

Islamist militant group Hamas burst into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Hamas and other militants are still holding 120 hostages, around a third of whom have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.

The death toll among Palestinians in Israel's retaliatory offensive since then has reached more than 39,000, according to Gaza health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave.

More than 105 hostages were freed in a week-long truce in November, in return for 240 Palestinian prisoners.