Trump and Netanyahu are discussing the hostages in Gaza and Syria, the Israeli prime minister told Reuters

By Maaian Lubell and Jeff Mason

JERUSALEM/WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump about developments in Syria and the recent effort to secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, he said on Sunday.

Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump on Saturday night about the issue, which will become one of the main external challenges Trump faces when he takes office if it is not resolved before he is sworn in on January 20.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250, including Israeli-American dual citizens, during an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. More than 100 hostages were released through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations. Of the 100 still being held in Gaza, about half are believed to be alive.

Israel’s response has killed nearly 45,000 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, displaced nearly the entire population and left much of the enclave in ruins.

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff warned last week during a visit to the region that “it would not be a good day” if the hostages held in Gaza were not released before Trump’s inauguration.

Trump said earlier this month that there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if the hostages were not released before he took office.

A Trump spokesman declined to provide further details on the call on Sunday.

A bid by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to reach a truce that would include a hostage deal has gained momentum in recent weeks.

Netanyahu said he had spoken with Trump about efforts to secure the release of the hostages. “We discussed the need to complete Israel’s victory and we spoke at length about the efforts we are making to free our hostages,” he said.

The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden is working hard to reach a deal. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who was in the region last week, said on Thursday he believed a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release could be close, and Deputy National Security Adviser John Finer told Reuters that the process was momentum.

Netanyahu said he and Trump also discussed the situation in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria in the days since Assad’s ouster and moved troops into a demilitarized zone inside Syria.

“We have no interest in conflict with Syria,” Netanyahu said in a statement. Israel’s actions in Syria were aimed “to prevent potential threats from Syria and to prevent terrorist elements from taking over near our border,” he said.