Hamas Offers to Release All Remaining Hostages in ...

Hamas Offers to Release All Remaining Hostages in Single Swap

Zim Now Writer

Hamas announced on Wednesday its willingness to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza in a single exchange as part of the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire.

Currently, Israel and Hamas are implementing the first phase of the fragile truce, which took effect on 19 January, 2025, and has held despite multiple Israeli violations. Israel’s Foreign Minister stated on Tuesday that negotiations for the next phase would begin this week, potentially paving the way for a more permanent end to the conflict.

Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu confirmed to AFP that the group has informed mediators of its readiness to release all hostages in one batch instead of the staged approach followed in the first phase.

However, he did not specify the exact number of hostages still held by Hamas and other militant factions.

Nunu emphasized that this step underscores Hamas’s "seriousness and complete readiness" to move forward in resolving the hostage crisis and solidifying the ceasefire toward a lasting truce.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas has released 19 Israeli hostages in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails in a Red Cross-mediated swap.

On Wednesday, Hamas made its latest offer following an agreement with Israel to return the remaining six living hostages eligible for release under phase one in a single swap scheduled for this weekend. Additionally, Hamas agreed on Tuesday to return the bodies of eight deceased hostages in two separate handovers this week and next.

Upon the completion of the first phase, 58 hostages will still be held in Gaza.

Muhammad Shehada of the European Council on Foreign Relations stated that after enduring more than a year of heavy Israeli military action, Hamas is determined to prevent the war from resuming, albeit with red lines—one being its continued existence, which contrasts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objective of dismantling the group.

Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to eliminate Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, a stance Hamas has firmly rejected.