Hamas says it’s open to deal for release of more hostages—But only If Israel stops the war

According to a report by the UK-based Qatari news outlet, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the group is not outright rejecting the ceasefire-hostage framework proposed by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, as some had previously believed. Instead, Hamas has conditioned its acceptance on a resumption of the ceasefire and a halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza.

This condition has added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing hostage negotiations. The report states that Witkoff, however, declined to accept this condition, a decision that reportedly caught Hamas by surprise. This move by the U.S. mediator has further complicated the already fragile discussions.

In parallel, Egyptian sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that an Israeli delegation visited Cairo for several hours on Wednesday evening, with a Hamas delegation expected to arrive later on Thursday to continue negotiations. Egyptian officials, who have been playing an active role in facilitating dialogue between both sides, are pushing for an agreement. They are said to have presented a new ceasefire proposal earlier in the week, which includes the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, along with the bodies of five other hostages. The proposal also supports Witkoff’s framework, which calls for the release of half of the remaining hostages in the coming weeks.

KAN News reported that Egypt has been working intensively to encourage Hamas to accept the U.S.-backed framework, which aims to secure the release of hostages while preventing further military escalation. Despite these efforts, sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s team have indicated that Hamas has not yet shifted its stance on negotiations with Israel, even with the renewed military escalation.