Amid an expanded Israeli military (IDF) ground operation, which has again seen Rafah surrounded, Hamas is signaling that it’s ready to release all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
A Thursday Times of Israel report cited a senior Palestinian official who described that Israel has had a “longstanding rejection” of such a deal, which is why Hamas has so far offered a phased release approach; however, negotiations are at a “standstill” as the IDF has moved to a military solution.
Israel has reportedly countered by asking Hamas to release eleven hostages, but with no commitment this would lead to permanent ceasefire talks.
“While Netanyahu signed onto the deal, he has long rejected the latter two clauses of phase two, arguing they would allow Hamas to remain in power,” the report observes. “Accordingly, he has largely refused to hold talks regarding phase two of the deal, which were supposed to begin on February 2.”
The senior Palestinian official sourced in the Israeli media report said, “The number of hostages is not the issue. If Israel demonstrates its intention to reach a permanent ceasefire, [Hamas is] prepared to release all of the hostages.”
“Israel only wants a partial agreement so that it can continue fighting. It wants [Hamas] to give up all the hostages without entering the second phase,” the official claimed.
The Netanyahu government is now going much further with its demands if the military operation in Gaza is to cease. It is demanding that Hamas fully disarm, which is not going to happen. The senior Palestinian official asserted that the group will “never disarm” until a Palestinian state is created. Israel fears the terror group would just rise up again and resume rocket launches on its territory.
Meanwhile there’s been a new huge wave of Palestinian displacement in the south of Gaza, with reports of hundreds of thousands fleeing Rafah amid a renewed assault. The enclave for more than the last year been even more crowded, given it has served as a last place of refuge for the displaced from northern and central Gaza.
The wartime situation is set to continue for the foreseeable future, given new IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, declared Thursday that the military has entered “a new stage” of the fight against Hamas.
American-supplied bombs fall on Gaza neighborhoods…
Not artificial intelligence, not a scene from a movie.
These are Israeli-American missiles, and this is how they fall on the heads of innocent people.
It’s crazy. Whoever invented them to be dropped on humans is crazy. pic.twitter.com/RtHOdGHSeg
— Muhammad in Gaza🇵🇸 (@7MohammedKhaled) April 3, 2025
“The plan serves the goals of the war, returning the hostages and destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities,” he said.
The push into Rafah is intended to dismantle all remaining Hamas infrastructure and command activity, given the city is seen as the group’s last main stronghold in the Gaza Strip. But again, it’s also where most civilian refugees have settled, following over a year-and-a-half of intense war.
Loading…
