Gaza City — In a significant development, Hamas has proposed releasing all hostages held in Gaza if Israel agrees to a comprehensive truce. Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Friday that the group favors reaching an interim truce in the ongoing conflict.
“We have repeatedly offered to release all hostages and conclude a permanent ceasefire, but the Israeli government rejected the proposal,” Obeida said in a televised speech. He accused Israel of violating previous ceasefire agreements and resuming military offensives in Gaza over the past four months.
Obeida emphasized that Hamas is prepared for a prolonged confrontation if necessary. “Our strategy focuses on inflicting losses on Israeli forces, carrying out high-impact attacks, and attempting to capture additional soldiers,” he stated.
Negotiations have been ongoing for over ten days, mediated by Qatar and Egypt with backing from the United States. The talks aim to establish a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce to alleviate the devastation in the Palestinian enclave.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying that Israel’s efforts to secure a hostage release deal and a 60-day ceasefire “have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas.”
Under the proposed deal, Hamas would return 10 hostages and the bodies of 18 others over 60 days, while Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians. Obeida warned that if the current negotiations fail, Hamas may no longer consider previous partial exchange proposals.
Disagreements persist over Israeli army withdrawal maps, aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and assurances that any truce would lead to an end to the conflict. Two Hamas officials told Reuters that talks have yet to reach a breakthrough.
The conflict has taken a heavy toll, with Gaza health authorities reporting over 58,600 Palestinian deaths due to Israeli military operations. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed deep concern on Friday, highlighting preventable deaths, fuel shortages, displacement, and reports of malnourished individuals in hospitals with limited resources.
Humanitarian access remains heavily restricted, hampering efforts to deliver essential aid. The OCHA noted that only 7 out of 13 aid coordination attempts with Israeli authorities have been successful.
