Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says an announcement on the release of hostages held in Gaza could come “within days,” raising cautious hopes for a breakthrough in one of the war’s most emotionally charged issues.
In a nationally televised statement, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas would be disarmed and Gaza demilitarised, warning that this goal would be achieved “the easy way or the hard way.”
His remarks came just hours after Hamas issued its own statement agreeing in principle to free hostages under a US-brokered peace plan, though notably omitting any commitment to surrender its weapons. Instead, the group called for further negotiations on “unresolved issues.”
Saturday morning airstrikes hit several parts of Gaza, with Hamas accusing Israel of “continuing massacres” and urging international pressure to halt the bombardments.
Indirect ceasefire talks are scheduled to begin Monday in Cairo, with envoys from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar expected to attend.
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US President Donald Trump, whose administration drafted the latest peace proposal, issued a blunt warning to Hamas: “Move quickly, or all bets are off,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Later, he claimed Israel had agreed to an “initial withdrawal line,” apparently referring to phased troop movements outlined in the American plan.
According to the 20-point proposal, the deal would begin with an immediate halt to hostilities and the release of 20 living hostages—alongside the return of bodies of those presumed dead—in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had been ordered to prepare for the “first phase” of the plan, stressing that troop safety remained a top concern.
Hamas’s response, described by analysts as a “yes, but,” leaves open the central question of disarmament. The group’s proposal for Gaza to be run by “technocrats” suggests it may be seeking a transitional arrangement rather than total surrender.
Trump’s direct involvement has injected both urgency and unpredictability into the talks. Yet the sticking points remain familiar: Hamas wants a complete Israeli withdrawal and guarantees that fighting will not resume after the hostages’ release — assurances Israel has so far refused to give.