Hamas ties hostage release to full Israeli withdrawal in Gaza ceasefire talks

Indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas entered their second day in Egypt on Tuesday, with the Palestinian group insisting that any hostage release must be directly tied to a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a condition now being weighed within the framework of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

Speaking at the White House on thesecond anniversary of the Gaza war, President Trump said there was a “real chance” of reaching a deal, even as both sides remained divided over timelines and guarantees.

The talks, hosted in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, are set to continue on Wednesday, with senior US and Qatari representatives expected to join the mediation efforts.

According to a Hamas source, the group is demanding firm guarantees that Israel will end its military campaign and withdraw from all Palestinian territories. Senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum confirmed that the delegation was pressing for a complete Israeli exit from Gaza.

However, Trump’s plan reportedly provides no fixed schedule for withdrawal, stipulating instead that Israeli forces would leave in stages once Hamas releases the 48 Israeli captives it still holds, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

A Hamas representative told Al Jazeera that the movement plans to free hostages in phases corresponding to the step-by-step withdrawal of Israeli troops. The source said Tuesday’s discussions centred on finalising a schedule for the releases and mapping out troop pullbacks, reiterating that the last hostage release must coincide with Israel’s full military exit.

Leading the Hamas delegation, Khalil al-Hayya said the group had come to Egypt “with all responsibility” and a clear objective to achieve an immediate and lasting ceasefire coupled with a comprehensive prisoner-hostage exchange.

Egypt’s Al Qahera News, quoted him stressing that Hamas did “not trust the occupation, not even for a second,” accusing Israel of breaching previous ceasefires and demanding “real guarantees” that hostilities would not resume.

Earlier in the day, a coalition of Palestinian factions, including Hamas, issued a joint statement affirming their commitment to “resistance by all means” and asserting that “no one has the right to cede the weapons of the Palestinian people”, a pointed rejection of the disarmament clause reportedly contained in Trump’s plan.

Indirect Hamas–Israel talks on Gaza ceasefire plan kick off in Egypt

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked the second anniversary of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack by describing the past two years as a “war for our very existence and future.”

While refraining from directly addressing the talks, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s objectives: “the return of all the hostages, the elimination of Hamas’s rule, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”

Despite ongoing differences, diplomatic observers view the talks as the most promising attempt yet to halt the conflict, which has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, decimated Gaza’s infrastructure, and created a severe humanitarian crisis.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye were “staying flexible” and refining proposals as discussions progressed. “We don’t go with preconceived notions to the negotiations,” he said. “We develop these formulations during the talks themselves, which is happening right now.”

Al-Ansari confirmed that Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will travel to Egypt on Wednesday, 8 October to join fellow mediators, including US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “His participation underscores the mediators’ determination to reach an agreement that ends the war,” al-Ansari said.

With Agency Inputs