Netanyahu And Trump Talk About Israel's Hostage Release Efforts In Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu/PHOTO via Instagram @b.netanyahu

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump about developments in Syria including efforts to deal with the release of Israeli hostages detained in Gaza.

Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump on Saturday night on the matter, which would be one of the main foreign challenges Trump faced when he took office if this issue was not resolved before Trump was sworn in on January 20.

Militants led by Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 people, including Israeli-American nationals, during their attacks on October 7, 2023 against Israel, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 100 hostages have been released through Israeli military negotiations or rescue operations. Of the 100 people still detained in Gaza, about half are believed to be alive.

Israel's response through attacks has killed nearly 45,000 people, most civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, displaced nearly the entire population and left most of the region destroyed.

Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, last week warned during a visit to the region "not a beautiful day" if the hostages detained in Gaza were not released before Trump's inauguration.

Trump said earlier this month there would be a "payout to be paid" in the Middle East if the hostages were not released before he took office.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States' efforts to reach a ceasefire that also includes a hostage-taking deal have gained momentum in recent weeks.

"We discussed the need to finish Israel's victory and we spoke at length about the efforts we made to free our hostages," Netanyahu said.

The administration of President Joe Biden, whose term of office expires, is working hard to reach an agreement. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who was in the region last week, said he believed the deal on the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages may be imminent.

Netanyahu said he and Trump also discussed the situation in Syria after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks on Syria's strategic weapons supplies days since Assad's ouster and moved troops to a demilitarized zone in Syria.

"We are not interested in conflict with Syria," Netanyahu said.

Israel's actions in Syria are meant to thwart potential threats from Syria.

"And prevent the takeover of terrorist elements near our borders," he said.