Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the government meeting (hostages release)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the government meeting for the approval of the hostages’ release framework, together with special envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“We are in the midst of a decisive development. Over the past two years, we have fought to achieve our war objectives, and one of the central goals is the return of all the hostages—both the living and the dead. And we are about to accomplish that.
We could not have reached this point without the extraordinary assistance of President Trump and his team—Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They worked tirelessly together with Ron Dermer and our staff.
These combined efforts, together with the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, created a joint military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas. I believe this is what brought us to this moment.

I want to personally thank both of you, Steve and Jared. These were long hours; you worked around the clock—and you invested not only your minds but also your hearts.
We know this is for the good of Israel and the United States, for the good of decent people everywhere, and for those families who will finally be reunited with their loved ones.
I want to thank you on their behalf, and on behalf of the people of Israel.”

⸻

Jared Kushner, the U.S. President’s son-in-law:

“It’s clear that bringing the hostages home has been a top priority for President Trump for a very long time, and all of us have worked tirelessly to achieve it.
But I truly want to say that none of this would have been possible without the heroism of the IDF and its soldiers—what they’ve accomplished not only in Gaza, but also across the entire region over the past two years: eliminating Hezbollah in the north and significantly weakening it, and also through what you’ve done in Iran.
All of this has had a tremendous impact.

And especially, when you see how your citizen-army—many of you, perhaps all of you, have family and friends who took part in this effort—made enormous sacrifices for the nation and fought to make a difference, I think it truly made a remarkable difference.

I also want to express very special thanks to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has done an outstanding job on this matter and conducted the negotiations in a particularly impressive way.
You stood firm on your principles, and I think you and President Trump have shared the same vision for the ultimate goal.”

⸻

Steve Witkoff, U.S. President’s Special Envoy to the Middle East:

“The real hard work was done by the Prime Minister.
He is the one who had to defend this country. He is the one who had to make difficult decisions—how tough to be with Hamas, when to show flexibility, and when not to.
I often thought about it—it gave me no rest—what would I have done in such situations?
There were moments I thought you should have been more flexible, or that your country should have been more flexible.
But the truth is, looking back now, I think we wouldn’t have reached this point if Prime Minister Netanyahu hadn’t acted the way he did. Thank you.

And I’m not saying this just as words. These aren’t mere formalities. The President believes this as well—my President believes it.
He believes that Prime Minister Netanyahu made very tough decisions, and there are less courageous people who would not have made such decisions.
And here we are today because Hamas had no choice. They were forced into this agreement.
The pressure was immense, and you have a stronger army. You advanced significantly on the ground—and that’s what led to this agreement.”