ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Palestinian Hamas movement on Friday announced its readiness to release all Israeli hostages it captured two years ago and to transfer control of Gaza to a technocratic administration. The move came just hours after US President Donald Trump threatened the group with a harsh response if it failed to agree to his plan to end the conflict in the enclave.
“Within this framework and in a way that achieves stopping the war and complete withdrawal [of Israeli forces] from the [Gaza] Strip, the movement announces its agreement to release all occupation prisoners, alive and deceased bodies, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal and with providing the field conditions for the exchange process,” said the group in a statement.
“In this context, the movement confirms its readiness to immediately enter through mediators into negotiations to discuss the details of that,” it added.
Trump on Monday unveiled a “comprehensive plan” aimed at ending the near two-year-long war in Gaza, which includes the release of all Israeli hostages within 72 hours, and the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave, alongside the exclusion of the Palestinian movement Hamas from any future political role in Gaza.
Late Friday, he gave Hamas a deadline to release Israeli hostages and agree to his latest plan to end the Gaza war, warning that “all HELL” will break out against Hamas if it fails to do so.
Trump’s 20-point plan, which has been approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlines a vision for the future of Gaza. It calls for a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” to temporarily govern the territory. The administration will be overseen by an international transitional body called the Board of Peace, chaired by Trump himself.
“The movement also renews its agreement to hand over the administration of Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and based on Arab and Islamic support,” Hamas said.
Palestinian Hamas militants launched a large-scale incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,170 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a massive ongoing offensive in Gaza, killing more than 66,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.