Israel – Ynet News, May 21, 2025
In first press briefing since December, PM signals readiness for short-term truce if it brings more home and outlines conditions for ending the war, including Hamas disarmament and leadership exile.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he agrees to end the war in Gaza if Hamas is defeated, its leaders exiled and the Strip is demilitarized.
For the first time in 163 days, Netanyahu faced the press at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. Since his last briefing in December, Netanyahu has made several public statements, posted lengthy videos on social media and given “interviews” — exclusively to his advisor, Topaz Luk — but has not answered questions from the press.
At the start of his remarks, Netanyahu offered condolences to the families of Sgt. Yosef Yehuda Chayek and Staff Sgt. Danilo Mokanu, who were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip. He then addressed the situation of the hostages, stating that “there are definitively 20 hostages still alive and up to 38 killed.” He added, “If there is an opportunity for a temporary cease-fire to bring more hostages home — and I stress, a temporary cease-fire — we are prepared for it.”
