Yaron Blum, the former coordinator for hostages and missing persons, addressed the hostage deal negotiations and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington on Monday, saying in an interview with Ynet studio that "there will be pressure on Netanyahu in the coming days. Conditions have ripened." Blum added that in his opinion, there is no reason to get excited about the criticisms from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. According to him, "They are fighting for political votes. I also suggest that Zamir not get excited, the military achievements in Gaza are helping Hamas make decisions."

