Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informs families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 that Israel is “closer than ever” to securing their release.

He states, “A month ago I was pessimistic about our chances of reaching a deal anytime soon. One of my prime goals in all of my meetings in the United States was to put pressure on Hamas to come to a deal with the understanding that there’s not going to be a better deal. Today, and I’m saying this cautiously, we’re closer than ever.”

Meanwhile, President Biden reportedly told Prime Minister Netanyahu in a recent call that “it is time to close the deal” to release the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

The White House said Biden’s call with Netanyahu lasted 30 minutes and the two went over the different parts of the agreement. In the last day Biden and his team studied Hamas’ response and made a determination that it “moves the process forward” and provides basis for reaching a deal.