Report: Hamas may be open to freeing some hostages in exchange for Eid al-Fitr truce
Israeli TV says unclear what terror group will demand for small number of captives, among them Edan Alexander; Hamas said to want ceasefire so it can crack down on Gaza protests
Israeli television reported Friday that mediators see a willingness among some senior Hamas members to release a small number of hostages to secure a truce during the Ramadan-ending holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The Kan public broadcaster acknowledged that it was still unclear what Hamas will ask in return for those it releases, though it did say that the freed hostages would include American-Israeli IDF lone soldier Edan Alexander, with the United States and Qatar intensively involved in the proposal.
Another Kan reporter said the deal was less about Eid al-Fitr and more to do with the protests that have broken out against Hamas throughout Gaza over the past several days.
Hamas wants to crack down on those participating in the protests and cannot do so due to Israel’s resumed operations in Gaza, as the military is targeting terror operatives that it spots out in the open, according to the report.
A ceasefire, even of several days, would allow for Hamas to rein in the protests, which have been a major source of distress within the Palestinian terrorist organization, the network claimed.
Kan’s report came a day after a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Qatar presented Hamas with a new US proposal to restore the ceasefire through the release of Alexander, in exchange for which President Donald Trump would issue a statement calling for calm in Gaza and the resumption of negotiations for a permanent end to the fighting sparked by the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has already rebuffed a proposal from US envoy Witkoff, which sought to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. The group has insisted on sticking to the terms of the deal signed in January, which was to have seen negotiations begin in early February for a second phase of the deal. The outline for the phase broadly envisions the release of all remaining living hostages in exchange for a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled and has accordingly refused to enter talks on the second phase, instead pushing for an extension of the phase one temporary ceasefire. Israel renewed intensive military operations throughout Gaza on March 18.
Hamas has yet to respond to the latest US proposal, but Qatari mediators told the terror group that compliance would create goodwill for them with Trump, making it more likely that he will push Netanyahu to agree to a permanent ceasefire, the diplomat added.
How Israel will respond to it is also unclear.
Amid the talks with mediators, a senior Hamas official said Friday that the negotiations were gaining momentum.
“We hope that the coming days will bring a real breakthrough in the war situation, following intensified communications with and between mediators in recent days,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement.
The talks aim to “achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid in,” Naim said.
Most importantly, he said, the proposal aims to bring about a resumption in “negotiations on the second phase, which must lead to a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of occupation forces.”
The Times of Israel Community.