Hamas agrees to partial hostage release in ‘difficult’ truce talks

JERUSALEM - Hamas on July 9 said it would release 10 hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire talks after Israel struck an upbeat note about the prospects for a deal to stop the fighting in the embattled Palestinian territory.

The Islamist group’s statement came after

four days of indirect talks brokered by Qatar

and as the United States signalled its belief that agreement for a 60-day truce would be struck before the end of the week.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said part of the deal would be the return of 10 living hostages held by militants since Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war.

Of 251 hostages seized during the assault on Israeli border communities near Gaza, 49 are still held in the territory, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

In its statement, Hamas said key hurdles remained in the talks, notably the free flow of aid into Gaza, Israeli military withdrawal from the territory and “real guarantees” for a lasting peace.

But it added: “The movement displayed the required flexibility and agreed to release 10 prisoners (hostages).

“Despite the difficulty of negotiations over these issues until now due to the intransigence of the occupation, we continue to work seriously and with a positive spirit with the mediators to overcome the hurdles and end the suffering of our people and ensure their aspirations to freedom, safety and a dignified life.”

A senior Israeli official said on July 9 that Israel and Hamas may be able to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal within one or two weeks, but that such an agreement is not expected to be secured in a day’s time.

Speaking during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, the official said that if the two sides agree to a proposed 60-day ceasefire, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent ceasefire that would require the Palestinian militant group to disarm.

If Hamas refuses, “we’ll proceed” with military operations, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Israel earlier appeared to fall in behind US President Donald Trump and his optimism for an end to the conflict, as the talks in Doha stretched into a fourth day with reported complaints on its stance on aid.

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said in a televised address that military action had prepared the ground for a deal that would bring home the Israeli hostages.

Mr Netanyahu, who after talks with Mr Trump in Washington on the night of July 8 was still uncompromising in his determination to crush Hamas, said he believed an agreement was on the horizon.

“I think we’re getting closer to a deal,” he told FOX Business Network’s Mornings with Maria programme. “There’s a good chance that we’ll have it.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also said he thought a temporary deal was “achievable” and could even herald talks for a more lasting peace, while President Isaac Herzog talked of “a historic opportunity” for change.

“We are in an era of tectonic shifts, where the global balance of power and the regional strategic landscape are being reshaped,” Mr Herzog said.

“We must not miss this moment.”

‘Mostly listening’

Mr Netanyahu is insistent he wants to permanently neutralise the threat to Israel from Hamas.

But he is under increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war, particularly as the death toll of soldiers killed by homemade bombs and ambushes in Gaza increases.

The military announced on July 9 another soldier had been killed in combat in Gaza.

Hamas has vowed “Gaza will not surrender”.

One Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations in Doha said the Israeli delegation was “mostly listening rather than negotiating, which reflects Netanyahu’s ongoing policy of obstruction and sabotaging any potential agreement”.

The militant group had previously rebuffed pressure to release all the hostages, demanding an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel wants to ensure militants in Gaza never again threaten its security.

Qatari mediators had warned on July 8 it would take time to seal a deal.

‘Like an earthquake’

On the ground, Gaza’s civil defence agency said July 9 that 26 people were killed in Israeli strikes, at least six of them children.

“The explosion was massive, like an earthquake,” said Mr Zuhair Judeh, 40, who witnessed one of the strikes, which prompted frantic scenes as people scrabbled in the rubble for survivors.

“The bodies and remains of the martyrs were scattered,” he added, calling it “a horrific massacre”.

In response to an AFP request for comment on a strike on the Al-Shati camp near Gaza City, the Israeli military said it “struck a number of Hamas terrorists”.

Due to restrictions imposed on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties accessing the area, AFP is unable to independently verify the death tolls and details shared by the parties involved.

Hamas’ October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign

has killed at least 57,680 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. AFP, REUTERS