‘We are ready to release all Israeli captives' If end to Gaza war guaranteed: Hamas
A senior Hamas official said yesterday that the Palestinian group is prepared to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a 'serious prisoner swap' and guarantees that Israel will end the war in Gaza.
Hamas left Cairo on Monday after negotiations with mediators from Egypt and Qatar — two nations working alongside the United States to broker a ceasefire in the besieged territory.
'We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid,' Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, told AFP.
However, he accused Israel of obstructing progress towards a ceasefire.
'The issue is not the number of captives,' Nunu said, 'but rather that the occupation is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the war'.'Hamas has therefore stressed the need for guarantees to compel the occupation (Israel) to uphold the agreement,' he added.
Israeli news website Ynet reported on Monday that a new proposal had been put to Hamas. Under the deal, the group would release 10 living hostages in exchange for US guarantees that Israel would enter negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19 and included multiple hostage-prisoner exchanges, lasted two months before disintegrating.
Efforts towards a new truce have stalled, reportedly over disputes regarding the number of hostages to be released by Hamas, with 58 people still held in the Palestinian territory.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
an hour ago
- Daily Tribune
Baghdad asks Iran to avoid strikes on US targets in Iraq: official
Baghdad has asked Tehran not to target US interests on Iraqi soil, a senior security official said Saturday, as Washington's ally Israel and Iran traded blows, heightening tensions across the region. The government in Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran but also a strategic partner of Iran's arch-foe the United States, which has some 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of an anti-jihadist coalition. Fearing being caught up in a regional escalation, the Iraqi government asked Tehran not to strike in its territory, a senior Iraqi security official told AFP. "The request was made. They promised us positive things," said the official, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The official added that Tehran has shown understanding with regards to Baghdad's request. Before the current escalation, which began early Friday with a series of Israeli attacks on military and nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran had threatened to strike military bases hosting US forces in the region in the event of a conflict triggered by the possible failure of nuclear talks with Washington. Throughout the Gaza war, which began in October 2023 and has pitted Israel against Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, Tehran-aligned armed factions have launched dozens of rocket and drone attacks targeting US forces in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria. Before the wave of attacks began, the United States on Wednesday announced it was reducing staffing at its Baghdad embassy, citing security reasons. Several pro-Iran groups in Iraq called on Friday to accelerate the departure of US forces from the country, with the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah warning of "additional wars in the region".
Gulf Insider
5 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
Five Questions Surrounding Israel's Unprecedented Strikes On Iran
Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets early Friday morning. This followed the latest US-Iranian nuclear talks stalling, continued speculation that Iran is secretly building nukes, and growing Israeli anxiety with the situation. From the looks of it, Israel decapitated the Iranian Armed Forces and the IRGC, yet Iran still vowed to retaliate. The situation is fluid, but as of Friday morning Moscow time, there are five questions whose answers will determine the course of this crisis: 1. To What Extent Did The US Assist Israel? Trump publicly distanced himself from Israel's rapid lead-up to these unprecedented strikes, which followed his reported rift with Bibi, but Iranian policymakers have long believed that the US and Israel are iron-clad allies that always work together. Their assessment of the extent to which the US assisted Israel in these strikes will therefore determine the scope and scale of their retaliation. If they conclude that the US played a role, then American military assets in the region and elsewhere might be targeted. 2. What Will Be The Scale & Scope Of Iran's Retaliation Look Like? Building upon the above, Iran can either throw everything that it has at Israel if it senses that this is a pivotal moment in their decades-long rivalry or it can carry out a comparatively more restrained retaliation, though the latter might still be exploited as the pretext for follow-up strikes by Israel. Apart from targeting American military assets, Iran could also finally blockade the Strait of Hormuz like it's long threatened to do, though that could also be exploited as the pretext for direct US military involvement. 3. Will Trump Resist Mission Creep? Even if the US didn't assist Israel, Iran shares this view, and American military assets aren't targeted in its retaliation, Trump might still get dragged into the conflict if the 'deep state' convinces him to authorize air defense support of Israel and/or joint offensive operations with it after Iran's retaliation. He'd risk irreparably splitting his base with all that entails for his movement's future if he does, particularly if this results in the US' involvement in a major and costly regional war, so he'd do well to resist mission creep. 4. Why Couldn't Iran Better Defend Itself? Initial reports suggest that Israel really did indeed hit Iran very hard, thus raising questions about Iran's air defense systems. Likewise, there are also questions about why it didn't preempt Israel's attack amidst the rapid lead-up in recent days, especially considering how often its representatives talked about Iran supposedly being ready to launch 'Operation True Promise 3' at any time. Iran is now weakened and Israel won't be caught by surprise so the odds of total victory are less in Iran's favor that before. 5. What Comes Next If A Major Regional War Is Somehow Avoided? A major regional war can be avoided if Iran doesn't significantly retaliate against Israel (though a possibly choreographed show might follow), Israel is humbled by Iran's outmatched retaliation (which the US doesn't significantly help it defend against), or Iran absorbs Israel's second blow and doesn't retaliate. If the nuclear talks aren't resumed and swiftly lead to a deal on the US' terms, then a 'cold peace' might follow characterized by intense hybrid warfare (sanctions, terrorism, Color Revolution plots) against Iran. Israel sought to eliminate what it considers to be the existential threat that Iran poses, but the damage that Israel reportedly inflicted on Iran could pose an existential threat to Iran if Israel exploits the aftermath through more strikes and/or hybrid warfare. These zero-sum mutual perceptions of existential threats greatly raise the stakes of this crisis. If Iran doesn't deliver a knockout blow to Israel (and survive the inevitable retaliation), then Israel might gain the upper hand over it unless Iran soon builds nukes.
Gulf Insider
5 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
US-Israeli Deception Gave Iran False Security Amid Washington Green Light
Fresh reporting as well as new Friday statements by President Trump reveal that the US and Israel practiced deceptive diplomacy, as Israeli and American officials worked together to convince Iran that nuclear negotiations were progressing. Yet all the while an elaborate Israel attack on Iranian nuclear sites was being planned, and Tehran was given a false sense of security, and ill-prepared for its defense. Axios has reported that Tel Aviv was given 'a clear US green light' to start bombing, according to two unnamed Israeli officials. The previously widely reported 'split' and spat between Trump and Netanyahu was a public ruse. 'Two Israeli officials claimed to Axios that Trump and his aides were only pretending to oppose an Israeli attack in public — and didn't express opposition in private,' the report explained. 'The goal, they say, was to convince Iran that no attack was imminent and make sure Iranians on Israel's target list wouldn't move to new locations.' Trump was even publicly advocating for diplomacy even up to within hours of the overnight attacks, which involved at least 200 Israeli warplanes, and drones. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since publicly denied American involvement, but Trump has admitted that he was briefed on the major Israeli military operation. Trump has further indicated that US-supplied weapons were used against Iran. Meanwhile: TRUMP SAYS IRAN OFFICIALS CALLING HIM TO DISCUSS SITUATION: NBC Thus far, there's been no evidence of direct Pentagon involvement. But clearly, the Islamic Republic was lulled or tricked into believing that no Israeli strikes were actually imminent. Per WSJ: President Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he and his team were read in on Israel's plans to attack Iran. Asked what kind of heads-up the U.S. got ahead of the attack, Trump said in a brief phone interview, 'Heads-up? It wasn't a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on.' Israel is seeking to both decapitate Iran's military leadership and completely destroy Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran has long maintained is for peaceful energy purposes. Given Tehran has vowed to continue its nuclear activities undeterred, despite damage at Natanz and other sites, more waves of Israeli attacks are likely. Israel's military has on Friday said it has begun to deploy reservists from different units to all combat areas nationwide in readiness for a potential Iranian military response. Certainly, something was going on last night at The Pentagon… The question remains: what next? So far, Iranian anti-air defenses have appeared almost non-existent. It's also unclear the degree to which Iran's air defenses and ballistic missile sites have already been destroyed or damaged.
