Jerusalem, Dec 11 (EFE).- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told his United States counterpart Lloyd Austin in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that there was a possibility of signing an agreement to free the hostages still in Gaza after 14 months.
«At this point, there is a possibility of a new agreement, with the hope of releasing all the hostages, including those with US citizenship,» Katz said, according to a readout of the call released by the Israeli ministry of defense.
Katz also discussed with Austin the Israeli army’s decision to occupy the demilitarised zone in Syria, which borders Israel, following the fall of the Assad regime, telling him that the strikes on Syrian territory were to counter «the danger of future use of strategic weapons against Israel.»
As for Lebanon, with which Israel agreed on a ceasefire on Nov. 26, after a year of fighting, Katz stressed his position of «zero tolerance for violations,» even though both nations accuse each other of violating the terms of the agreement.
The US and Israel, the statement said, had agreed to work together to stop any attempts to «smuggle weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.»
The talks between the two come amid optimism of a return to the negotiating table to reach a ceasefire in Gaza after a stalemate that has lasted since August.
According to EFE sources close to the negotiations, an Israeli delegation met with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the deal.
Among the hostages proposed for possible exchange with Palestinian prisoners were women, children, seriously ill and wounded, as well as four hostages with dual Israeli and US citizenship.
Inside the enclave remain 96 of the hostages taken in the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 of whom at least 34 are dead, according to the Israel Defense Forces, a figure that some have raised to 50.
After more than a year of war, Hamas and Israel have reached only one ceasefire and hostage release agreement in November 2023. At that time, in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, 105 of the 251 kidnapped on Oct. 7 were released. EFE
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