Announcing “some progress” in the negotiations aimed at releasing the hostages in Gaza, the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed that his country is taking measures to return its citizens detained in the Palestinian Strip.

In his speech before Parliament with the resumption of negotiations to reach an agreement in recent days, Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We cannot reveal everything that we are doing. We are taking measures to return them. I would like to say with caution that some progress has been made and we will continue working until we return them all.”< /p>

An Israeli source had told Channel 14 that Tel Aviv expects to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza during the current negotiating round, the same thing indicated by three Palestinian factions, namely Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which said on Saturday that reaching An agreement with Israel on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is “closer than ever” if Tel Aviv does not set “new conditions.”

In a statement issued by it, the Hamas movement said that an agreement would be reached soon if Israel did not set new conditions.

A Hamas leader told Agence France-Presse, “The discussions have come a long and important way, and most of the points related to the issues of ceasefire and prisoner exchange have been agreed upon. Some outstanding points remain, but they will not be disrupted.”

A feast for the Houthis

On the other hand, Netanyahu threatened the Houthis, saying that he had asked the army to “destroy the militias’ infrastructure.”

For the second time in 24 hours, the Israeli Prime Minister threatened the Houthis, as he confirmed, on Sunday, that his country would move against them “with force and determination,” the day after they launched a missile from Yemen that landed in Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people.

Netanyahu said in a video clip broadcast by his office, “Just as we acted forcefully against the armed arms of the Iranian axis of evil, we will move against the Houthis... with strength, determination, and cunning,” adding, “Even if it takes time, the result will be the same as happened with other terrorist groups.”< /p>

On Saturday, the Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility for launching a hypersonic ballistic missile into central Israel, which the Israeli army failed to intercept.

US strikes

Hours later, the US military announced that it had carried out air strikes against Houthi targets in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

Since November 2023, the Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, including Sanaa, have launched attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from areas under their control in Yemen, in what they consider “support” for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A devastating war has been raging between Israel and Hamas since the movement launched an unprecedented attack on the Hebrew state on October 7. 2023.

The US Central Command, Centcom, said in a statement on Saturday that among the sites targeted by the US forces were a missile storage facility and a “command and control facility,” noting also that several Houthi attack drones were shot down over the Red Sea during this operation, in addition to To an anti-ship cruise missile.

Netanyahu said in the video clip on Sunday, “We do not act alone,” adding that “the United States, and other countries, consider the Houthis to be a threat not only to international maritime transport, but also to the global order.”

On Thursday, the Houthi rebels fired a missile at Israel, causing significant material damage to a school near Tel Aviv, as a result of a “partial interception,” according to the Israeli army.

The army responded by targeting Houthi ports and infrastructure in Yemen, located more than 1,500 kilometers southeast of Israel, killing nine people, according to the Houthi leader.