Hamas Offers to Release Israeli Captives at Once in Exchange for Permanent Truce

Hamas has proposed a comprehensive exchange of all Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners as part of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The proposal aims to achieve a permanent truce and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The group also announced plans to release the remaining six living captives from the first phase on Saturday. Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, confirmed that negotiations for the next stage of the agreement are expected to take place this week.

“We are ready for a second phase in which the prisoners will be exchanged in one go, within the criterion of reaching an agreement that leads to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Strip,” the statement said.

Hamas has also rejected Israel’s demands for its disarmament and removal from the Gaza Strip, maintaining its stance as negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire deal approach.

“The occupation’s condition of removing Hamas from the Gaza Strip is a ridiculous psychological war, and the withdrawal or disarmament of the resistance from Gaza is unacceptable,” said Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the group.

“Any arrangements for the future of the Gaza Strip will be through national consensus,” he said.

Qassem also explained the group’s decision to raise the number of captives set for release in the upcoming exchange on Saturday from three to six.

“Doubling the number of prisoners to be released was done in response to a request from the mediators and to prove our seriousness in implementing all the terms of the agreement,” he said.

In exchange, Israel will be release “a number of prisoners with life sentences and long sentences,” he added.

Meanwhile, clashes broke out in Beit Rima, a town northwest of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces apprehended a group of young men.

Since the onset of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have escalated, averaging four violent incidents per day.