From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Hamas official says Israel to withdraw from all Gaza cities tomorrow, paving way for hostage release
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
Hamas official Osama Hamdan tells the Qatari Al-Araby TV channel that Israel will pull out militarily from all populated areas in Gaza — including Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza City. He says the withdrawal will take place tomorrow, since the release of hostages requires arrangements on the ground and freer movement for Hamas operatives, meaning Israel must retreat first.
Hamdan, who is in Qatar and did not attend talks in Egypt, confirms reports that under the ceasefire agreement, 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazan prisoners detained during the war will be released.
The interview appears to be the first public appearance by a senior Hamas official since the deal was reached overnight.
He refuses to say whether senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and Popular Front leader Ahmad Sa’adat will be among those released, noting only that Hamas submitted the list to the Israeli side according to the seniority and prominence of the prisoners.
He stresses that the agreement will only come into effect once it is approved by the Israeli government. He also says that starting Sunday, 400 aid trucks will enter Gaza every day.
The Times of Israel Community.