Hamas Offers to Release Hostages for Ceasefire and Prisoner Swap

Photo: AP

A senior official from Hamas said on Monday that the group is willing to release all Israeli hostages if they can get a "serious prisoner swap" deal and promises that Israel will end the war in Gaza.

Hamas is currently negotiating in Cairo with representatives from Egypt and Qatar, along with help from the United States, to try and arrange a ceasefire in Gaza.

Taher al-Nunu, the Hamas official, said, "We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, the end of the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and allowing humanitarian aid to enter." However, he blamed Israel for blocking the efforts to reach a ceasefire.

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"The issue is not about how many hostages there are," Nunu explained. "The problem is that Israel is not keeping its promises, preventing the ceasefire from happening, and continuing the war."

Nunu also said Hamas is demanding guarantees to make sure Israel will stick to the agreement.

An Israeli news website, Ynet, reported that a new proposal has been presented to Hamas. Under this plan, Hamas would release 10 living hostages in exchange for US promises that Israel will begin talks for the next phase of the ceasefire.

The first phase of the ceasefire started on January 19 and included several hostage exchanges, but it ended after two months. The talks for a new truce are currently stuck, mainly because there is disagreement about how many hostages Hamas should release.

Meanwhile, Nunu said that Hamas will not disarm, which is one of Israel's main conditions for ending the war.

"The weapons of the resistance are not up for discussion," Nunu said.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The attack killed 1,218 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli government numbers. In the attack, Hamas also took 251 hostages, with 58 still being held in Gaza. Of these, 34 are believed to be dead according to Israel’s military.

The health ministry in Gaza reported that at least 1,574 Palestinians have been killed since March 18, when the last ceasefire ended. This brings the total death toll in Gaza since the war started to 50,944.