Another 10 hostages will be released from Gaza shortly, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, without providing additional details.
Trump made the comment during a dinner with lawmakers at the White House, lauding the efforts of his special envoy Steve Witkoff. Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since July 6, discussing a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire.
"We got most of the hostages back. We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly," Trump said.
Trump has made repeated comments over the past several weeks suggesting that a new hostage deal would soon be agreed upon.
Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson said on Friday the group would not agree to an interim truce in the future if a ceasefire agreement was not reached during ongoing negotiations and accused Israel of intransigence.
"We are closely monitoring the ongoing negotiations and hope they will result in an agreement that guarantees the cessation of the war against our people, the withdrawal of occupation forces, and the relief of our people," Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida said in a video statement.
Former secretary of state Antony Blinken claimed on Wednesday that the United States and its partners in the Middle East were "85% of the way" to being done before the Trump administration took over. Despite this, the early days of the new Trump administration saw a breakthrough in a hostage deal after months of stalled talks.
Hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip
Hamas abducted over 250 people during its October 7, 2023, rampage, where the terror group invaded southern Israel and massacred more than 1,200 people.
There are currently 50 hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are understood to still be alive.