On Saturday, Israel's foreign minister stated that if an agreement is reached to guarantee the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas, an intended assault into the southern Gaza city of Rafah may be called off, according to Reuters.
The remarks were made in response to foreign mediators pushing for an agreement to end the six months of horrific warfare in Gaza and the return of Israeli prisoners kidnapped during Hamas' attack on October 7, which sparked the conflict.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated, "The release of the hostages is the top priority for us," in an interview with the regional television station Channel 12.
Katz said, "Yes," when asked whether that meant postponing an intended operation to destroy Hamas brigades in the city of Rafah.
"We will suspend the operation if there is a deal," he said.
Katz is part of the security cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although he is not part of the narrow-forum war cabinet that is in charge of the Gaza attack.
After Hamas attacked Israeli cities on October 7, Israel declared war on the Islamist organization, saying it needed to eliminate four Hamas combat battalions in Rafah, which were bolstered by thousands of militants who were escaping, to win the war.
Yet over a million Palestinians who fled the Israeli onslaught across the remainder of Gaza are being housed at Rafah, which is close to the Egyptian border. They say it is horrifying to think of having to escape once more.
Hamas announced earlier on Saturday that it will review Israel's official answer to its most recent ceasefire proposal in discussions mediated by Egypt and Qatar before providing its response.
An attempt to resolve the situation was made on Thursday by the US and seventeen other nations to urge Hamas to free all of its hostages.
As the Islamist organization is dedicated to Israel's destruction, Hamas hopes to use any agreement to bring an official conclusion to the conflict and put an end to it forever. Israel intends to keep fighting until Hamas's military and political capabilities are destroyed.
There are currently about 130 captives in Gaza, including women and children.
According to Israeli statistics, the bloodiest single strike in Israel's history claimed almost 1,200 lives on October 7. Over 34,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel's attack on Gaza, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled Gaza.
