Hamas Proposes Hostage Handover to Israel in Exchange for Next Phase of Ceasefire Agreement

Hamas has announced its willingness to release all remaining hostages in a single exchange if the ceasefire agreement with Israel advances to a second phase next month. This news comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows signs of readiness to discuss this next phase after a delay. He has appointed Ron Dermer, a close advisor and former ambassador to the U.S., to lead Israel’s delegation in the talks.

Currently, Hamas is scheduled to hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages this Thursday, including two young boys from the same family. On Sunday, they will release six more hostages and transfer additional bodies the following Thursday. This marks the end of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, which wraps up on March 1. Reportedly, 58 hostages remain with Hamas and other militant groups, and Israel believes that 34 of them may already be deceased.

The original plan for the second phase involved a staggered exchange of hostages and deceased bodies for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. However, a senior Hamas official, Taher al-Nunu, stated that Hamas is now ready to release all hostages in one go during this phase, rather than in stages.

This proposed second phase has faced resistance from Netanyahu, who has been reluctant to discuss a complete military withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for the hostages. Completing this phase could effectively end the conflict, but Netanyahu’s far-right coalition opposes any move that could leave Hamas strong in the region.

Pressure on Netanyahu is mounting, including from U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who asserted that “phase two is absolutely going to begin.” Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, mentioned that discussions on the second phase would start this week, although the timeline remains uncertain.

Originally, talks about implementing this next phase were expected to begin at the start of February. With the deadline approaching, there are contentious issues still to resolve. The plan includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from a strategically significant area known as the Philadelphi corridor, which Netanyahu has previously declined to do.

Simultaneously, Netanyahu is insisting the second phase should also disarm Hamas, but he has not clarified who would take over governing the territory afterward. Recently, he echoed a controversial proposal from Trump about the U.S. taking control of Gaza and relocating the entire Palestinian population. However, many in the region doubt this plan will be realized, especially after the UAE joined Egypt and Jordan in opposing it. A recent report indicated UAE’s leader told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that they strongly oppose any attempts to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

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