Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday lauded the ceasefire agreement between his government and Hamas, calling it an achievement that secured the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza through diplomatic and military pressure.

“It wasn’t easy,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, referencing the two-year effort to secure the release of all of the 254 hostages that Hamas terrorists and their accomplices took on Oct. 7, 2023, when thousands of Gazans invaded Israel.

Under the deal, Israel is to receive, by noon on Monday, the remaining 20 living hostages and the bodies of another 28 dead ones, the prime minister said.

“This deal was never on the table, Hamas had never agreed to free all hostages while our troops were in Gaza,” he said. Hamas agreed only “after the sword

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