According to i24NEWS, Shteiwi made the statement on Wednesday. He had previously shown his phone number on a sign during a Knesset discussion, appealing to Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar to negotiate the terms of a deal. Since then, he reported receiving calls from both Gaza civilians and Hamas members.
"Everyone presents their own claims about the deal — and we don’t know what they are. I previously shouted that both sides should publicly state their demands in the media, instead of having this broken telephone," Shteiwi explained, referring to the reason behind displaying the sign.
"Gazans and Hamas members called me and shouted: 'Let’s get back to life.' I say, let’s help with some reconstruction, without delving into the day after, and let them have a bit of a good life — then they’ll have something to lose."
Regarding the possibility of a deal, he added: "This is an opportunity to release the hostages. I have been shouting all along that we need to start the deal and free even one hostage — the important thing is to start the process. At the same time, the Prime Minister is right in saying that we need to stay in Gaza until all the hostages are returned, otherwise Hamas might stop releasing hostages after twenty of them."
