Hamas agrees to ceasefire plan, exchange of captives
Hamas announced on Friday evening that it approved the release of the remaining 48 Israeli captives in exchange for the more than 11,000 Palestinians in Israel prisons.
The movement also endorsed the handover of Gaza’s administration to an independent Palestinian body in its response to US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza.
In a statement, the Palestinian group said that “other issues raised in President Trump’s proposal concerning the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are tied to a unified national position based on relevant international laws and resolutions.”
Hamas, which delivered its response to mediators and requested clarifications on some clauses, indicated that it conducted “in-depth consultations within its leadership institutions and broad consultations with Palestinian forces and factions, as well as with mediators and friends, to reach a responsible position in dealing with US President Donald Trump’s plan.”
The group added that it values “the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as those of US President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, a prisoner exchange, the immediate entry of aid, the rejection of the occupation of the Strip, and the rejection of the displacement of our Palestinian people from it.”
Hamas said it agreed to “release all Israeli captives, both living and deceased, according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal, and with the necessary conditions on the ground for carrying out the exchange.”
It affirmed its readiness to, through mediators,“immediately” enter into negotiations to discuss the details of the plan.
Israel estimates that 48 Israeli captives are still in Gaza, out of whom only 20 are alive while Palestinian and Israeli media and rights groups report that Israel has around 11,100 Palestinians detained in its prisons, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, with many killed as a result.
Hamas also reiterated its approval to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats, “based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”
Earlier Friday, Trump gave Hamas until Sunday evening to approve his plan regarding the Gaza Strip.
On Sept. 29, the White House issued a detailed plan calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, followed by a comprehensive programme for reconstruction and a reorganization of the enclave’s political and security situation.
The plan seeks to turn Gaza into a weapons-free zone, with a transitional governance mechanism overseen directly by Trump through a new international body tasked with monitoring implementation.
It includes the release of all Israeli captives held by Hamas within 72 hours of approval, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The plan stipulates halting hostilities, disarming the Palestinian resistance, and Israel’s gradual withdrawal from Gaza, to be governed by a technocratic authority under the supervision of an international body led by the US president.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years. It further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries after it has destroyed virtually all hospitals and schools, pushing the enclave into famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 66,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly amid widespread displacement.
