Hamas offers to release all Israeli hostages if war ends and prisoners are swapped | World News

Hamas has proposed releasing all Israeli hostages in exchange for a comprehensive prisoner swap, the end of the Gaza war, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. A senior Hamas official blamed Israel for obstructing ceasefire progress. Efforts to establish a new truce have stalled due to disagreements over the number of hostages to be released, while Hamas refuses to disarm.

Hamas on Monday said that it is willing to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a “serious prisoner swap” and a commitment from Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, told AFP on Monday, “We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid.”
He accused Israel of stalling progress towards a ceasefire, saying, “The issue is not the number of captives, but rather that the occupation is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the war.” He added that Hamas insists on guarantees to ensure Israel abides by any future agreement.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, a new proposal has been discussed in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages in return for a US guarantee that Israel would enter negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire deal.
The first phase of the ceasefire began on January 19 and involved several rounds of hostage-prisoner exchanges, but it collapsed after two months. On March 18, Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza, effectively ending the truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that combat operations had resumed “in full force,” and that the airstrikes were “just the beginning.”
Negotiations to restart a truce have stalled, reportedly due to disagreements over the number of hostages Hamas is willing to release. Meanwhile, Hamas has refused to disarm, which remains one of Israel’s key conditions for ending the war. “The weapons of the resistance are non-negotiable,” Nunu said.
The war began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli government figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, with 58 still believed to be held in Gaza, including 34 that the Israeli military says are dead.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported on Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians have been killed since 18 March, bringing the total death toll since the war began to 50,944.