Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized on Monday that he sees Israel “at an opportune moment” to negotiate a hostage agreement with Hamas and “bring our captives back home.” During a speech addressed to new soldiers, Gallant stated that the recent conflict in Gaza has “enabled us to be flexible, to act freely and to make difficult decisions in order to bring back the abductees. I believe we are at an opportune moment, but there’s another side that must agree to it.” On the same matter, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Army Radio that the parties “have reached a critical point in the negotiations. If it works out, then a large number of hostages will come home.”