Al Jazeera: Hamas offers to release all Israeli captives in exchange for full truce

In an exclusive material, Al Jazeera claims that Hamas has proposed exchanging all Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners in a single swap during the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, aiming for a permanent truce and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. 

The Palestinian group has also confirmed that it will release the remaining six living Israeli captives, who were initially slated for release in the first phase, on Saturday, February 22.

Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, stated that negotiations for the second phase of the agreement “will happen this week.”

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel began on January 19, 2025. As part of the deal, Israel opened the Netzarim corridor on January 27, allowing displaced people to move from the southern regions of Gaza to the northern parts.

On February 1, the Rafah crossing at the Gaza-Egypt border was also opened, enabling the evacuation of the sick and wounded following months of occupation. These actions were integral to the humanitarian aspect of the agreement, which aimed to alleviate the severe conditions in Gaza.

In the first five rounds of exchanges, Israel released 766 Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas freed 21 hostages, including 16 Israelis and 5 Thai nationals. The sixth round of exchanges, which took place on February 15, saw the release of three Israeli citizens and 369 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire and exchange deal is structured in three phases. The first phase, spanning 42 days, is set to result in the release of more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and 33 Israeli hostages. The second and third phases will continue to facilitate the return of both hostages and prisoners.

The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, has resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and 251 hostages being taken. Since then, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have caused over 48,460 fatalities, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. There are currently 73 hostages from the October attack still held in Gaza, along with three additional Israeli captives who have been imprisoned for over a decade, one of whom has already died.

By Tamilla Hasanova