President Isaac Herzog disclosed that ongoing negotiations are taking place between Israel and Hamas regarding a ceasefire and the potential release of hostages.
During a conversation with Yael Alexander, whose son Edan Alexander has been held captive by Hamas for 422 days, Herzog shared that “there are negotiations behind the scenes – and it is possible.”
“I reiterate the call – now, after the agreement in Lebanon, it’s time to make a deal and bring the captives home,” Herzog emphasized.
The meeting occurred after Hamas released a video over the weekend featuring Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli soldier captured on October 7, 2023, while serving in the IDF. In the video, Edan appeals to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and President-Elect Donald Trump to work toward securing a deal for his release.
“There are negotiations with a bitter and cruel enemy whose entire purpose in the video was to demoralize us all,” Herzog stated. “On the contrary – I think this video gave us a lot of strength.”
Yael Alexander expressed the emotional impact of seeing her son in the video, saying, “I had a sleepless night. Edan, his voice. and the video which plays continuously. You can see from the video that Edan is going through hell, he is screaming and his eyes look sad, but this gave me a lot of strength – Edan strengthened us with his call to us. We released this video, so everyone can see – Edan is alive, and many other captives are alive and the time has come to do something and release them.”
Of the 101 hostages currently held in Gaza, estimates on the number still alive vary, with some reports suggesting there may be as few as two dozen remaining.
{Matzav.com}