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Hamas says ready to free all Israeli captives at once in phase two of truce

Wednesday, 19 February 2025 4:51 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 19 February 2025 4:51 PM ]

An Israeli captive speaks before he is released in Khan Yunis on February 15, 2025.

A senior Hamas official says the Palestinian resistance movement is willing to free all the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza in a single swap during the next phase of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

“We have informed the mediators that Hamas is ready to release all captives in one batch during the second phase of the agreement, rather than in stages, as in the current first phase,” said Taher al-Nunu.

Hamas has proposed exchanging all the captives and Palestinian abductees in “one go”, with the aim of reaching a permanent truce and a full Israeli pullout.

Israel and Hamas are currently in the process of implementing the first phase of the truce, which began on January 19.

Since then, 19 Israeli captives have been released in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians.

After the completion of the first phase, 58 captives will remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that talks would begin “this week” on the second phase.

Hawkish finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has promised to quit the cabinet if Israel does not return to war in Gaza when the current ceasefire expires on March 1.

Hamas has said it would release the bodies of four captives on Thursday. The Palestinian group is expected to release six living captives on Saturday, and a further four bodies next week – all in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

At least three Palestinians have been killed and 11 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel releases 183 Palestinian prisoners as Hamas condemns ‘torture, abuse’

Israel has released 183 Palestinian detainees in exchange for three Israeli captives in the fourth round of prisoner swap with Hamas.

Palestinians have also reported regularly hearing Israeli drones in the sky.

On Tuesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israel has killed 92 people and injured 822 since the start of the truce.

Hamas says on top of these attacks, Israel has also delayed the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, which is one of the ceasefire agreement’s key commitments.

The regime is also reportedly readying for potential resumption of war if the ceasefire collapses, amassing troops and equipment along the Gaza border.

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