A senior Hamas official has said the group is ready to enter talks on a comprehensive deal to end the Gaza war and exchange all remaining Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, firmly rejecting Israel’s proposal for a temporary truce.
In a televised statement, Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’s Gaza chief and head of its negotiating team, declared that the group will no longer accept interim agreements—an approach that Israel is unlikely to agree to.
Hayya said Hamas seeks a deal that includes the release of all hostages, a full cessation of hostilities, the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and a commitment to reconstruct the war-torn Gaza Strip.
“Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation, even if the price is sacrificing all his prisoners [hostages],” Hayya said.
US in secret talks with Hamas over American hostages
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the Trump administration had engaged in direct talks with Hamas in Doha to negotiate the release of American hostages held in Gaza. US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler reportedly led the discussions.
This marked a notable shift, as the United States had previously avoided direct engagement with Hamas, which has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US State Department since 1997.
While the primary focus was the release of US citizens, the talks also touched on a broader framework for a long-term ceasefire and the release of all captives.