Hamas ready to release remaining hostages to end war in Gaza Strip

The head of Hamas's negotiating delegation, Khalil Al-Hayya, said on April 17 that the group was ready to immediately negotiate a deal to exchange all remaining hostages as part of a larger deal to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

In a televised speech, Mr. Al-Hayya said the Islamist movement Hamas had rejected a temporary ceasefire agreement.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of destruction and starvation. We will not accept this policy,” Al-Hayya added.

Egyptian mediators have been working to restore a ceasefire that took effect on January 19, 2025, but there are few signs of progress as Israel and Hamas are deeply divided on key issues.

Palestinian and Egyptian sources said the latest round of talks on April 14 in Cairo aimed at restoring a ceasefire and releasing Israeli hostages ended without any clear breakthrough.

Al-Hayya confirmed that Hamas had accepted a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators to release some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and to start negotiations on implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which includes ending the conflict and withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza.

He accused Israel of making a proposal with "impossible conditions."

Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) Chairman Diaa Rashwan asserted that the proposal to require Hamas to disarm as a condition for a ceasefire in Gaza was part of Israel's proposals, not Egypt's.

In a televised speech on April 16, Mr. Rashwan rejected Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's claim that Egypt was behind the proposal.

Mr Katz said Egypt had first proposed disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.

Mr Rashwan stressed that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was imposing "impossible" conditions for a ceasefire to avoid ending the war permanently.