STORY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday (October 9) during of a government meeting in Jerusalem to vote on a U.S-brokered Gaza deal to release all hostages and end the war in the Palestinian territory.

Kushner and Witkoff both praised Netanyahu's approach to the negotiations.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of Trump's initiative to end the two-year war in Gaza that has upended the Middle East.

While Netanyahu called the deal "a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel,"

far-right members of his coalition have long opposed any deal with Hamas and are expected to vote against the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the current deal.

More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led militants stormed through Israeli towns and a music festival on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ADDRESSES GOVERNMENT MEETING, THANKING US ENVOYS AND PRESIDENT TRUMP IN INVOLVEMENT IN GAZA DEAL

REFILE: EDITORS NOTE RESENDING SCRIPT TO CLARIFY THIS HAPPENED DURING THE CABINET MEETING AND NOT BEFORE IT

EDITORS NOTE: JUMP CUTS AT SOURCE

SHOWS: JERUSALEM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (GPO - Access all)

1. (SOUNDBITE)(English) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING:

"We are at a momentous development. In the last two years, we have fought during these two years to achieve our war aims, and one of the central aims is the return of the hostages — all of them, the living and the dead. And we are about to achieve that goal. We could not have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team - Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They worked tirelessly, together with Ron and our team. That and the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, combined military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas. I think this is what brought us to this moment.

I want to personally thank both of you, Steve and Jared. It's been long hours, you worked around the clock, but not only did you work - you put into it your brains and your hearts. We know this is for the benefit of Israel and the benefit of the United States, for the good of decent people everywhere, and for these families who will finally be able to reunite with their loved ones. I want to thank you both in their name, and on behalf of the people of Israel."/APPLAUSE

2. (SOUNDBITE)(English) WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR JARED KUSHNER, SAYING:

"Obviously, bringing the hostages home has been a top priority for President Trump for a very long time, and we've all worked tirelessly to do that. But I really want to say that none of this would have been possible without the bravery of the IDF and the soldiers - what they have accomplished not just in Gaza, but also what they've done in the theatre over the past two years: in the elimination of Hezbollah in the north and really degrade them, and also in what you were able to do in Iran. it really helped set a big tone, but particularly , seeing your citizen army - I know a lot of you, maybe all of you, have family members and friends who took part in this effort - put your sacrifices on the line to fight for the country and try to make a difference, I think that truly made a huge difference. And I want to express a very special thanks to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who did an incredible job with this and did a great job in the negotiations, youv'e held your lines firm and I think that you and President Trump you had alignment on what the end state should be."

3. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF, SAYING:

"The hard job was the Prime Minister's. He had the job of protecting this country. He had the job of making tough choices - how tough to be with Hamas, when to be flexible when not to be. I think about it all the time, what would I have done in some of those circumstances? There were times that I thought we should be more flexible, or that your country should be more flexible. But the truth is, looking back now, I think we wouldn’t have gotten to this place if Prime Minister Netanyahu hadn’t played it the way he did. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) And I'm not just saying that. These are not just words. The President believes that. My President believes this. He believes that Prime Minister Netanyahu made very difficult calls, and lesser people would not have made those calls. And here we are today because Hamas had to. They had to, they were backed up. And you have got the bigger army. You were making inroads and that's what led to this deal."