Netanyahu, Trump discuss progress on hostage deal and Syrian developments

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, stated that Israel has no interest in confronting Syria, and that the Israeli military's actions are aimed at thwarting potential threats. He also discussed the hostage situation in Gaza and developments in Syria with US President-elect Donald Trump.

In a statement, Netanyahu explained that he spoke with Trump, on Saturday evening, about the latest efforts to release Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as the ongoing developments in Syria. The conversation between Trump and Netanyahu comes as US and Israeli officials revealed progress in the "hostage deal" negotiations.

According to the Israeli news site Ynet, a senior Israeli official said on Saturday evening that there has been "significant progress" in the negotiations regarding the hostage deal, with key points currently being monitored to "prevent political interference that could derail the process."

The Israeli official added that "the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet informed the cabinet that Hamas is ready to reach an agreement that was not previously possible, and it is estimated that an agreement could be reached within a short period, possibly a few weeks."

The official noted that the change in Hamas's stance is due to "the blows it has received" and Trump's imminent entry into the White House in about a month.