Gallant to White House Envoy McGurk: Hostage negotiators to have more authority, IDF preparing further ground operations

Defense Minister Gallant met today (Thursday) with White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk at the Kiryah in Tel Aviv.

At the meeting, the Defense Minister stressed the importance of dismantling the remaining cohesive Hamas units in central and southern Gaza, returning the remaining 134 hostages, and ensuring continued humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza.

He also stressed the role of Iran in supplying various groups with arms and assistance and the havoc they were causing in the region.

The question of how much authority Israeli hostage negotiators have has become a fraught question, as Prime Minister Netanyahu has at least once barred the negotiating team from going to Cairo unless Hamas becomes more flexible.