Netanyahu: "Progress made towards the release of the hostages". State of emergency extended in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “some progress” has been made in negotiations to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, more than 14 months after the start of the war. His statements in parliament came two days after Palestinian militant groups also spoke of progress towards a ceasefire and an agreement on the release of hostages.

In recent days, indirect negotiations took place in Doha between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, which rekindled hopes of an agreement that proved elusive. “Everything we are doing cannot be revealed. We are taking actions to bring them back. I want to say with caution that there has been progress and we will not stop acting until we bring them all home,” Netanyahu said in parliament and added “I want to say to the families of the hostages: we are thinking of you and we will not give up on your loved ones, who are also our loved ones”.

Despite the reassurances, the families, who have been living with bated breath since 7 October waiting to hug their loved ones again, have questioned the sincerity of the government’s negotiating efforts, and critics have long accused Netanyahu of stalling with false talks, prolonging the war partly to please his far-right coalition partners.

State of emergency extended to December 2025

Meanwhile, the Israeli parliament voted to extend the country’s state of emergency until December 16, 2025 in accordance with the security cabinet’s recommendation. Twenty-nine MPs voted in support of the resolution, while seven voted against it. The Knesset last extended the state of emergency in May, but only for six months

Incursion of the Israeli army into the West Bank

Israeli forces raided occupied camps in the West Bank. This was reported by Al Jazeera, which writes that Netanyau’s army has deployed snipers in the Tulkarem refugee camp and is clashing with Palestinian fighters in the al-Ein refugee camp. Israeli raids have been reported in other parts of the occupied territory, including : the city of Azzun, east of Qalqilya and the city of Hizma, north of occupied East Jerusalem

The IDF says it has successfully intercepted a Houthi missile launched from Yemen. The Times of Israel reported the news. The missile was blocked before it entered Israeli airspace, the army added. Red warning sirens were activated across central Israel due to the possibility that interceptor fragments could land inside Israeli territory, say the military. At the moment there is no news regarding the presence of injuries or damage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to “destroy the infrastructure” of Yemen’s Houthi rebels who have fired numerous missiles at Israel in recent days, causing 16 minor injuries between Friday night and Saturday in Tel Aviv.