Hamas agrees to release hostages but sets conditions for peace

Abeer Abu Omar and Fares Akram, Bloomberg News on Oct 3, 2025

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Hamas agreed to release all Israeli hostages captured in its Oct. 7 attack but said the rest of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan would be subject to negotiation.

The statement was a positive step that still raised questions about whether the promise would be sufficient to end the fighting. It also didn’t address Trump’s demand that the group disarm.

In a statement, Hamas said it agreed “to release all Israeli prisoners — both living and deceased — in accordance with the exchange formula outlined in President Trump’s proposal, and contingent upon the necessary field conditions for carrying out the exchange.”

Hamas also said the hostages would need to be released “in a manner that ensures the cessation of the war and the full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” a caveat that raised questions in Israel about whether the group would go through with the plan. Hamas also said it was ready to transfer administration of the Gaza Strip to “a Palestinian body composed of independent technocrats.”

The group also said other parts of Trump’s 20-point plan “require a unified national stance and must be addressed based on relevant international laws and resolutions.”

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also didn’t respond to a request for comment. The Israeli shekel jumped after the Hamas statement.

Trump had warned that Hamas had until 6pm on Sunday to accept the proposal he had announced earlier in the week with Netanyahu. Otherwise, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” the U.S. president said in a social-media post on Friday.

The statement marked the first time that Hamas has shown its readiness to release all the hostages. Other points in Trump’s plan, such as the broader issues of Gaza’s future and the “fundamental rights” of the Palestinian people, would be subject to a “national” Palestinian debate in which Hamas will take part.

On Monday, Trump and his Israeli counterpart in a joint White House news conference presented the plan to end the two-year conflict and warned that if Hamas rejected the deal Israel would have “our full backing” to destroy the militant group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union.

The plan reiterates demands for Hamas to hand over remaining hostages and disarm — but includes new elements including an offer of amnesty to any operative who hands over his weapons and commits to coexistence. The proposal also backs away from Trump’s earlier idea of driving Gazans into exile, promises a significant increase in aid deliveries and global involvement to rebuild the war-torn territory.

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With assistance from Magdalena Del Valle.

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