Hamas on Wednesday released a statement reiterating its long-standing offer to release all remaining Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for a permanent ceasefire deal and Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
The statement came after President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Hamas must release the 20 Israelis who are believed to be alive.
“Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!” the president wrote.
Hamas recently accepted a temporary ceasefire deal proposed by mediators Qatar and Egypt that was virtually identical to a framework previously approved by the US and Israel. In the statement, Hamas said it was still awaiting Israel’s response to the proposal.
“In this context, the Movement reiterates its readiness to proceed with a comprehensive deal, under which all of the enemy’s captives held by the resistance would be released, in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation, as part of an agreement that ends the war on the Gaza Strip, withdraws all occupation forces from the entire Strip, opens the crossings for the entry of all the Strip’s needs, and begins the reconstruction process,” Hamas said, according to Drop Site News.
Hamas also reiterated its position that it’s willing to cede governance of Gaza to an “independent national administration of technocrats” that would “manage all affairs of the Gaza Strip and immediately assume its responsibilities in all fields.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been responsible for blocking at least seven Gaza ceasefire deals throughout his genocidal war, according to Israeli media, has dismissed Hamas’s statement, calling it “more spin.”
According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu’s office said five conditions must be met for a permanent deal, including “Israeli security control” of Gaza, which signals the demand is for long-term Israeli military occupation. Another condition is for the disarmament of Hamas, which Hamas has previously responded to by saying they won’t give up their arms until there is a Palestinian state or another Palestinian force to replace their military wing.
