Palestinian displaced people arriving in Gaza City after fleeing the eastern part of the city following evacuation orders from the Israeli army, on April 11, 2025. (Credit: Bashar Taleb.)
A senior Hamas leader said Monday that Hamas was ready to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for guarantees that Israel will end the war in Gaza.
A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo for talks with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who, along with the U.S., are mediating for a truce in the Palestinian territory. "We are ready to release all the Israeli (hostages) as part of a real prisoner exchange agreement, and in exchange for the cessation of the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the entry of humanitarian aid," Taher al-Nounou, a leader of the movement, told AFP.
However, he accused Israel of obstructing progress towards a cease-fire. "The problem doesn't lie in the number" of hostages to be released, he said, "but rather in the fact that (Israel) is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the cease-fire agreement, and continuing the war." "That is why Hamas has insisted on the need for guarantees to force (Israel) to comply with the agreement," he added.
According to the Israeli news site Ynet, a new proposal has been submitted to Hamas, which would involve the release of ten live hostages in exchange for U.S. guarantees that Israel will start negotiations on a second phase of the cease-fire. An initial phase of the truce, between Jan. 19 and March 17, allowed the return of 33 hostages, including eight deceased, in exchange for Israel's release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.
Efforts to restore the cease-fire have so far been hampered by disagreements over the number of hostages Hamas should release.
Taher al-Nounou also stated that Hamas would not disarm, one of the conditions set by Israel to end the war. "The weapons of the resistance are not up for negotiation," he said.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented attack carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, against southern Israel. This attack resulted in the death of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures. Of 251 people then abducted, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 deceased, according to the military. The Gaza Ministry of Health announced Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians had been killed since the resumption of Israeli military operations on March 18, bringing the death toll in Gaza to 50,944 since the beginning of the Israeli response 18 months ago.
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