Sources: Hamas Agrees to Trump-backed Gaza Deal, Including Releasing All Israeli Hostages
The proposal includes a gradual IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, alongside the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for both the living and the deceased Israeli hostages
Chaim Levinson, Haaretz
September 27 2025 IDT
Hamas has agreed in principle to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, which includes the immediate release of all Israeli hostages, sources with knowledge of the matter tell Haaretz.
Sources say Qatar was involved in getting Hamas to agree to the framework of the deal, and Trump is hoping to finalize it with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when they meet on Monday.
As part of the deal to secure the release of all living and deceased hostages, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and gradually withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip.
As of the end of June, Israel was holding 289 Palestinians serving life sentences and 59 more serving sentences longer than 30 years. Israel is holding 1,407 Palestinian prisoners who have been sentenced, along with roughly 2,500 detainees whose trials are ongoing and some 2,300 detained Gazans – some of whom took part in the October 7 attacks.
As part of the deal, Israel will have to give up any plans to annex the Gaza Strip, as well as plans to demolish Gaza and drive out the Palestinians living there. While Hamas would be stripped of authority, it would still be a far cry from the "total destruction of Hamas" which the Israeli government has repeatedly called for.
ACCORDING TO THREE SOURCES WITH KNOWLEDGE ON THE MATTER, FOLLOWING ISRAEL'S FAILED STRIKE IN DOHA ON SEPTEMBER 9, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF -- WHO IS CONSIDERED CLOSE TO QATAR'S RULING FAMILY -- RENEWED EFFORTS TO END THE WAR IN GAZA. THE U.S. UNDERSTOOD THAT THE TIME IT GAVE NETANYAHU TO CONTINUE ISRAEL'S OFFENSIVE IN GAZA HAD BEEN USED FOR MOVES THAT DESTABILIZE THE MIDDLE EAST AND CAUSE HARM TO U.S. ALLIES IN THE REGION, AND THEREFORE IT CANNOT GIVING NETANYAHU MORE LEEWAY.
The main change that Witkoff has managed to bring is Hamas' agreement in principle to release all the hostages held in Gaza, without keeping a small number of them as a guarantee that Netanyahu will hold his end of the bargain.
Qatar believes that Hamas keeping some hostages doesn't provide a guarantee that the war won't restart and doesn't force Israel to the negotiating table, but rather it's an excuse for Netanyahu to prolong the war. Due to the diplomatic isolation Netanyahu and Israel are facing, Doha believes the war would be all but over once the hostages are released.
The Qataris are expected to provide a letter signed by Hamas proving the group's agreement to the matter.
Simultaneously, the U.S. is working on a plan to rebuild Gaza, which is meant to be led by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. This plan has been proposed several times over the past two years, including under former President Joe Biden. Under the plan, Arab nations would lead the charge in the rebuilding plan.
On Tuesday, Trump met with key leaders from the Arab and Muslim world, including the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During that meeting, the leaders committed to support the plan, both militarily and financially.
The Trump administration hopes that once the war in Gaza is over, Israel and Saudi Arabia will begin negotiating a peace agreement, which would include a solution to the Palestinian issue. Over the past several weeks, Washington and Riyadh have been holding quiet discussions on the matter. Saudi Arabia has kept a low profile this week, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman skipping the UN General Assembly in New York.
Haaretz
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