Hamas says it is ready for a comprehensive agreement on Gaza, under which all Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for the release of an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, Arab media reported on Thursday.
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that Hamas must immediately return all 20 hostages (not 2, 5 or 7!), “and everything will change quickly. THIS WILL COME TO AN END!”
Hamas stressed that it is ready to “conclude a comprehensive agreement under which all prisoners held by the resistance will be released in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation authorities.”
“This agreement will end the war in the Gaza Strip, lead to the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, open border crossings for the import of all goods needed in the Gaza Strip, and begin the process of reconstruction,” the statement said.
The group also emphasises that it is ready to form an “independent national administration of technocrats” to govern Gaza.
Tel Aviv’s requirements
Israel has said it will only accept such a deal if Hamas surrenders and disarms.
Defence Minister Israel Katz warns that Hamas will soon face a tough choice: either accept Israel’s terms for ending the war, including the release of all hostages and disarmament, or see the city of Gaza “become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” accusing the group of continuing to “deceive and utter empty words.”
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas’ statement “another manipulation that contains nothing new.”
According to the Israeli prime minister, the war could end immediately if five conditions are met: the release of all hostages; the disarmament of Hamas; demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip; Israeli control over security in the Gaza Strip; and “the establishment of an alternative civil administration that does not promote terror, does not spread terror and does not threaten Israel.”
Israel advances on Gaza City
Israel is preparing an expanded offensive to capture Gaza City. Today, soldiers and tanks entered Sheikh Radwan, one of the largest and most densely populated areas of the city centre.
Residents of Gaza City reported that the military destroyed homes and tent camps where Palestinians who had been forced to leave their homes after nearly two years of war were living. According to local health authorities, at least 24 Palestinians, including several children, were killed by the military in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City.
Meanwhile, a demonstration was held in the busy centre of Jerusalem demanding the release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement. In a statement, the police called the rally “violent riots” and said that police officers had begun to use force to disperse the protesters.
