[Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Elon Musk “in the last few days” to discuss a revival of talks to secure the release of hostages currently held in Gaza, according to a source close to President Herzog. The source said Herzog made the call at the request of hostage family members who hope Musk will be able to apply pressure on all parties to secure a deal.
The communication comes after President-elect Donald Trump, to whom Musk has closely allied himself, said Monday that there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East” if the hostages being held in Gaza aren’t released before he is sworn in as president on January 20.
A source close to the hostage families, who spoke with President Herzog and who is familiar with the conversation, said: “There was a chat between the President and a few hostage families, where one of the subjects discussed was influence on Trump, and Elon Musk’s name came up as someone of influence on Trump. Therefore, keeping an open channel with him is important.”
It is believed there are 100 hostages, both dead and alive, currently being held in Gaza, 96 of whom were taken during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under intense pressure from the families of those captured to secure their release, but repeated efforts to strike a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement have fallen short.
Last November, Musk travelled to Israel to meet leaders and the relatives of hostages, as part of his efforts to walk back an antisemitic tweet in which he agreed with a user that Jewish communities push “hatred against Whites.”
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