Israel halted offensive operations in Gaza overnight on Friday following Hamas’s response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal
The Jewish state expects the release of the 48 hostages held by Hamas as early as this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening.
Israel hopes that “already during the Sukkot holiday, we can announce the return of all the hostages, with the IDF remaining in the depths of the Gaza Strip in various areas,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, speaking in the wake of Hamas’s response to the U.S. peace plan.
Sukkot, or the “Feast of Tabernacles,” is a weeklong Jewish holiday that this year runs from sunset on Monday, Oct. 6, to nightfall on Monday, Oct. 13 (Oct. 14 outside of Israel).