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fullscreen Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz. Archive image. Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP/TT
There is “currently” a chance to reach an agreement to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza for more than 14 months, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
This is what Katz says to his American counterpart Lloyd Austin in a phone call on Wednesday.
“We hope that all of the hostages will be released, including American citizens,” he said, according to a transcript from Katz’s office.
The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been unsuccessfully trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and terror-labeled Hamas for more than a year.
During the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, around 250 people, most of them Israelis, were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. Around 100 people remain in Gaza, of which roughly 30 of them are dead, according to Israel’s military.