Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has been appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lead Israel's negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal together with the US President's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. So far, the talks have been led by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad chief David Barnea. This evening, the families of six hostages, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu have announced that their loved ones will be returned this coming Saturday. An Israeli source said that the release of the hostages is "an important achievement by Prime Minister Netanyahu, which was done in full coordination with the United States. The Prime Minister has once again managed to quicken the pace of the release and reach an agreement on the return of all the living hostages of phase one already this week, in addition to the return of the deceased hostages." Related articles: Israel expressed outrage over secret US-Hamas talks Israel and US considering withdrawing from ICJ Netanyahu's dramatic decision 'Israel must do more to facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza' The source added that "if the agreement is realized, Israel will complete phase one of the agreement and guarantee the return of all the hostages at this stage - an achievement that many did not think would happen." The source said on the appointment of Minister Dermer to lead the negotiations that, "Israel will enter negotiations on Phase II in the coming days, which is a political phase that deals with the question of the conditions for ending the war. Accordingly, the Israeli efforts will be led by the Secretary of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, and he will do so with the US President's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff."
