Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his team to continue negotiations on the Gaza Strip, demanding the release of 11 hostages held in the enclave, the prime minister's office said.
The decision was made after a meeting held on the evening of March 15, which was called after representatives of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas announced the day before their readiness to release one live hostage and hand over the bodies of four dead.
„Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an in-depth discussion tonight with the negotiating team and security chiefs on the hostage issue. After the discussion, the Prime Minister instructed the negotiating team to prepare to continue the negotiations in accordance with the mediators' response to the proposal of the US President's special envoy Stephen Witkoff for the immediate release of the 11 hostages and half of the dead hostages, the office said.
According to the latest information from the Israeli side, Hamas is currently holding 24 hostages and the bodies of 35 dead prisoners in Gaza.
Two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon, DPA reported, quoted by BTA, citing Lebanese security services.
The Israeli army confirmed the strike and said that "the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have defeated a terrorist from "Hezbollah" who was involved in terrorist activities in the Kfarkela area in southern Lebanon."
The Lebanese Shiite group "Hezbollah" and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement in November that is still in effect, DPA recalls.
However, the Lebanese leadership believes that the continued presence of Israeli troops at five strategic points constitutes a violation of the agreement.