Supporters of families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza participate in a protest Saturday in Tel Aviv, calling to stop the war and for the release of the hostages. The Israeli army to prepare for the implementation of a U.S. peace pla. Photo by abir Sultan/EPA/ABIR SULTAN
By Allen Cone
Israel is preparing for a cease-fire and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas within 10 days after the militant group agreed to parts of the U.S. peace plan.During a nationally televised speech on Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said negotiators in Egypt, where talks are scheduled to start on Sunday, will work on a timeline for the release of the hostages.
Netanyahu said Israel is “on the brink of a very big achievement. It’s still not final. We are working hard on it.”
Netanyahu, during the 5 1/2-minute statement, said he hopes that during the Jewish Sukkot holiday, which begins Monday and lasts seven days, he will be able to announce that all the hostages have been returned.
The proposal calls for them to be released within 72 hours of acceptance by all sides.
“I hope that, with God’s help, in the coming days, during the Sukkot holiday, we will be able to announce the return of all the hostages — the living and the slain, in one go, with the IDF still deployed deep in Gaza,” Netanyahu said
The prime minister said Hamas will be demilitarized through the proposal, or through military action.
“But in all cases, this will be achieved,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew, though he used some English during the speech. He referred to the militant group as hamas, which the group’s name — an acronym that in English means “Islamic Resistance Movement” — as well as a Hebrew word that means “violence” or “injustice.”
Israel believes there are 20 living hostages in Gaza and 27 that have been presumed dead. In the nearly two years since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, 138 hostages have been released, including during truces, while eight have been rescued by Israeli military.
“But I never gave up on the rest of the hostages,” Netanyahu said. “And I never gave up on the rest of the war aims.”
Among leaders Netanyahu will dispatch to Egypt are Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, government hostage point person Gal Hirsch, Israel Defense Forces hostage point person Nitzan Alon, the Shin Bet’s deputy director, and Mossad and defense officials, Channel 12 reported.
Hamas’ team will also go to Cairo, Al Jazeera reported.
Trump is sending special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Cairo for discussions.
Kushner, after leaving the White House in 2021 as special assistant, launched a private equity firm, Affinity Partners, which quickly received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The UAE and Qatar have also invested into his firm.
“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with Hamas,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday afternoon. “When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE.”
What is realistic, of course, is far from certain. As hopeful as the initial statements from Hamas and Israel may have sounded to those desperate for an end to the war, many potential obstacles stand in the way, analysts said, including delaying tactics and outbreaks of violence.
“It’s not over yet,” said Eyal Hulata, who was Israel’s national security adviser under former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and now is a fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank.
What worried Mr. Hulata most, he said, was the possibility that both Hamas and Mr. Netanyahu were merely playacting — tailoring their statements “to appease President Trump’s demands” but with “no intention of doing what it takes.”
Still, some were daring to hope — and not just for an end to the Gaza war.
Mr. Etzion argued that Mr. Netanyahu had become so isolated on the world stage that it was possible now to envision a post-Netanyahu Israel, and even a rebirth of a broader peace process with the Palestinians.
He said there was “the regional and international climate, even potentially the internal Palestinian climate,” for a renewed political process.. “Nothing is easy, but it’s possible, if we have a cease-fire.”
Hours earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday afternoon that he appreciates “that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed. Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!”
But CNN reported that 17 Palestinians were killed, including some children, after a strike hit a residential home in Gaza City’s Al-Daraj neighborhood at 5 p.m. local time Saturday. Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital provided video to CNN of children being rushed to the hospital.
At least 71 people were killed on Saturday, including 45 in Gaza City alone, according to Al Jazeera.
Israel’s military said it was easing offensive operations early Saturday to prepare conditions for the release of the hostages but warned Gaza City remains a dangerous combat zone.
Hamas reacted positively to the proposal on Friday.
On Monday, Trump and Netanyahu announced at the White House that Israel agreed to a 20-point proposal to end the conflict that began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel. Trump called it a “big day.”
The two leaders spoke by phone Friday, with Trump recounting in an interview with Axios, that he said “‘Bibi, this is your chance for victory.’ He was fine with it. He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you got to be fine.”
On Saturday, Netanyahu said two leaders coordinated “a diplomatic move that flipped the situation at once” while IDF troops were pressing into Gaza City. “Instead of Israel being isolated, Hamas will be isolated,” he said.
Most Israeli leaders from different political perspectives approve the plan.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Saturday that he “won’t let” Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners “derail” the plan.
“In less than two hours from now, when Shabbat ends and you hear countless threats from (Bezalel) Smotrich and (Itamar) Ben Gvir, remember — they have nothing to threaten with. We won’t let them derail the deal,” Lapid said in a statement.
Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir threatened he will quit the government “if, after the release of the hostages, Hamas continues to exist. We will not be part of a national defeat that would be shameful and that would become a ticking time bomb for the next massacre.”
In Israel’s far-right coalition, leaders don’t favor two states of Israel and Palestine, which would include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Jewish nation also is bordered by Muslim-majority nations.
On Saturday night, an estimated 120,000 people appeared at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Other smaller protests took place elsewhere in Israel.
“I know what they’re going through,” Gadi Moses, who was freed earlier this year, said. “I was there. I stand before you today and function, but as long as they are there, my head and soul are still in captivity.”
Family members have been critical of Israel’s war strategy, saying their loved ones are in danger.
Tuesday will mark two years since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,195 civilians and security forces, and abducting 251 people.
The death toll has passed 67,000 Palestinians since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, while nearly 170,000 others have been injured.
Netanyahu on Saturday outlined the two-phase plan. Hamas first releases all hostages as Israel’s military still “maintains control of all of the dominant areas deep inside the strip.”
In the second phase, he said: “Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized. This will happen either through the diplomatic path by the Trump plan or through the military path, but it will be achieved.”
Hamas has not said if it would disarm.
Egypt plans to host an “intra-Palestinian dialogue on Palestinian unity and the future of Gaza, including the administration of the Gaza Strip,” an official told CNN.
On Friday, Hamas said it “will be included (in) and will contribute with full responsibility” to a “comprehensive national Palestinian framework” although Trump’s plan said Hamas and other militant factions in Gaza would play no role in governing there.
Hamas also has asked for clarity on the terms of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.
United Nations’ Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk said Saturday that the agreement is a “vital opportunity” to end the “carnage and the suffering in Gaza,” plus ensure the release of Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians alike.
Other nations’ leaders were also encouraged.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Hamas’ commitment to peace “must be followed up without delay,” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay.”
(UPI)