Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on October 9th, 2025, that Israel is committed to the return of all hostages, living and dead, and acknowledged the "extraordinary assistance" of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in achieving war goals. This occurred during a cabinet meeting where Trump's Gaza plan was reportedly being approved, according to a statement shared via X. The reporting window for this update is from 9:08:35 PM to 10:08:02 PM UTC on October 9th, 2025. During the same period, Al-Hadath correspondent reported renewed bombing of Gaza City. In a separate development within the reporting window, a conversation between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was documented. Ben Gvir expressed strong opposition to the potential release of terrorists, stating they would not be released in the United States and that peace cannot be made with Hamas, which he compared to Hitler. Witkoff shared a personal story about forgiveness, while Jared Kushner asserted that Hamas is globally isolated and deterred. Previous reports from October 9th, 2025, indicated that Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana had invited President Trump to address the Knesset. These reports also mentioned a leaked Israel-Hamas consent document for the "End of the Gaza War" outlining hostage information exchange facilitated by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, and the Red Cross. Separately, the IDF had confirmed airstrikes in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood on the evening of October 9th, which the Hamas-run Gaza Civil Defense agency claimed trapped civilians under rubble.
