Benjamin Netanyahu tells hostages' families no comprehensive deal possible now
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that reaching a comprehensive agreement with Palestinian factions in Gaza, including the release of all Israeli hostages, is currently not possible.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a meeting with families of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian groups in Gaza on the sidelines of his visit to Washington.
“A comprehensive agreement to release all hostages was not achievable,” Netanyahu told the families, as cited by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
According to the daily, Netanyahu tried to persuade the families “to support a partial hostage deal,” justifying the approach by referring to undisclosed plans he shares with US President Donald Trump.
Only two partial ceasefire deals have been reached between Israel and Hamas over the past 20 months; one in November 2023 and another in January 2025. Both included limited prisoner swaps.
However, Netanyahu abandoned the most recent deal and resumed Israel's deadly attacks in Gaza on March 18.
Israeli opposition leaders have accused Netanyahu of pursuing only partial agreements to prolong the war for personal political gain and to satisfy the far-right wing of his government.
Indirect negotiations are underway in Doha, Qatar, between Israeli and Hamas to finalize a deal that includes a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the latest proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages in two stages - eight on the first day and two on day 50. The plan names Trump as a guarantor for ending the war in later phases.
“In the first 60 days, we'll get back 10 hostages. That's part of the process. Then we'll talk about ending the war. We must be patient,” Netanyahu said.
Families of the hostages continue to demand a full deal to return all Israeli captives, both living and dead.
Israeli estimates that 50 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. At the same time, over 10,800 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, where they face torture, starvation, and medical neglect that has led to multiple deaths, according to Israeli and Palestinian rights groups and media outlets.
After their White House meeting Wednesday night, the hostage families said they welcomed the Trump administration's commitment to bringing back all Israeli captives. In a statement, they called missing this opportunity a “grave political and moral failure.”
Netanyahu is expected to conclude his US visit on Friday and return to Israel on Saturday.
The Israeli army has killed nearly 57,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
