In response to comments by US envoy Jared Kushner, the Prime Minister's office stated that the decision to send the IDF into Gaza City and target Hamas leaders in Qatar, combined with President Trump's pressure, led the terror group to drop its demands and agree to free all remaining captives.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement Sunday evening in response to comments by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner, asserting that the combination of Israeli military operations and American diplomatic pressure compelled Hamas to agree to release all remaining hostages in Gaza.
According to the PM's office, the decision to deploy the IDF into Gaza City and to target Hamas leaders in Qatar, alongside what it described as "the great pressure of President Trump," caused the terror group to drop its earlier demands and consent to a full hostage release.
The Zioneer has previously reported on US envoy Kushner's central role in the negotiations. On August 16, Kushner met with a senior Hamas delegation in Cairo to demand disarmament and governance transfer. Days later, on August 18, Kushner stated that the US would not restrict Israel's ability to defend itself and would back Israel to "finish the job" if Hamas failed to meet its commitments.
The statement did not provide a timeline for a potential release or specify which captives would be freed.
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