Netanyahu says Assad's fall could strengthen Gaza hostage swap deal

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime could lead to a hostage swap deal in the Gaza Strip.

Assad and his family fled Syria and arrived in Moscow on Sunday, where Russia offered them asylum, Russia’s state news agency reported, after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus earlier in the day, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.

It came nearly a week after the groups seized control of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

In a conversation with representatives of the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu alleged that the fall of Assad's regime “was partially a result of Israel’s decisive operations against Hezbollah and Hamas," according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

He said the fall of Assad "could open the door to new opportunities to strengthen a deal for the return of the hostages from Gaza.”

Israel estimates that there are currently 101 Israeli prisoners held in Gaza.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Qatar to reach a cease-fire and a prisoner swap agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have failed due to Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the ongoing conflict.

Israel has been conducting a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of more than 44,600 people, the majority of whom are women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala