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By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
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Hamas has offered to release all hostages captured on October 7, 2023, after the U.S. hostage envoy said the fighting would end immediately if they are all freed.
But Hamas also set demands including the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and the withdrawal of Israel's troops from the strip, Gaza-based Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said. The group has consistently said it will not disarm, making its terms unlikely to be acceptable to Israel.
Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Force and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin's Netanyahu for comment.
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Why It Matters
The latest proposal from Hamas suggests a different course from previous hostage releases under temporary ceasefire arrangements in which small groups of Israeli hostages – both death and alive – were handed back in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
President Donald Trump had demanded the release of all the remaining hostages in a warning to Hamas last month before supporting Israel's resumption of military airstrikes. The war in Gaza has devastated the territory since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
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What To Know
"The movement is ready to immediately begin negotiations on a comprehensive deal, under which all hostages held by the resistance would be released," the Gaza-based Hamas leader acting as the group's top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said in a televised statement also broadcast on the group's Telegram channel.
The group's leader welcomed the stance taken by U.S. Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler that the fighting would end if the hostages are released.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held an assessment with his negotiating team and the heads of the security establishment and ordered the continuation of the steps to advance the release of hostages, according to a statement by his office on Thursday.
Al-Hayya demanded a complete end of the war and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails according to an agreed-upon number, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the lifting the blockade. Such terms were previously rejected by Israel.
Israel has said the military campaign will continue until the remaining hostages are freed. Israel also demands the demilitarization of Hamas, which the group has strongly opposed and refused to discuss.
Most of more than 250 hostages captured in the initial Hamas attack were freed in earlier ceasefires or confirmed dead, but 59 captives remain. Around 24 are still thought to be alive, including some U.S. citizens.
What People Are Saying
Senior Hamas Member Taher el-Nounou told Newsweek: "What Dr. Khalil al-Hayya stated is the movement's position from the very beginning, which we have repeatedly conveyed to the mediators. That's why we saw in Mr. Boehler's proposal a convergence with the movement's position regarding a comprehensive deal that includes all hostages and ending the war, with each side's respective requirements."
U.S. Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler told Al-Jazeera English Wednesday: "I can tell you that the fighting would end immediately, immediately if hostages are released. The day that those hostages are released, the fighting will end."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, Tuesday: "I visited our fighters in Gaza today. They are fighting with strength – and Hamas is suffering. We will not stop until we achieve all the goals of the war and win."
What Happens Next
With Israel and Hamas repeatedly rejecting each other's demands, the U.S. is facing a renewed challenge to push for a deal that would set the hostages free after Hamas has warned they might be killed during the conflict.
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