As the IDF expanded its military activities in Gaza under Operation Gideon’s Chariots, CNN reported Sunday evening that Hamas has agreed to release between seven and nine hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 300 Palestinian terror prisoners. A senior Hamas official told CNN the release would depend on an Israeli withdrawal east of the Salah al-Din road.
Israeli officials rejected the report as “false Hamas propaganda,” saying the terror group has not agreed to any terms. “We are not on the path to a deal—the gaps between the sides are substantial,” said one senior Israeli official.
The claim that Hamas is open to a partial deal was met with skepticism in Israel, where officials maintain that no real progress has been made. On Saturday night, demonstrators gathered at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to demand the captives’ release.
Israeli sources said mediators had proposed a plan similar to the one initially offered by CIA Director William Burns, but on a smaller scale. Hamas is reportedly insisting on guarantees for ending the war, not just a pullback from the Salah al-Din axis.
Israel has said it will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor or from Netzarim, but is prepared to leave territory captured during Operation Firm Hand.
Jerusalem has set a deadline, warning that Hamas must respond by Monday. “This is the final date,” officials said, though it is unclear whether Israel will follow through or extend negotiations under U.S. pressure. Analysts believe the IDF's announcement of a ground operation is part of a strategy to pressure Hamas into accepting a compromise, potentially making the operation unnecessary.
Meanwhile, the Security Cabinet met Sunday evening for a tense discussion focused on humanitarian aid to Gaza and the fate of the hostages. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the negotiating team in Doha was working under his direction to exhaust every option for a deal—“whether under the Burns framework or as part of ending the fighting, including the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas operatives, and the disarmament of Gaza.” That statement triggered backlash from right-wing ministers.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted a situation assessment in northern Gaza earlier Sunday and stressed that the operation would continue “until we break the enemy’s ability to fight, until we defeat them wherever we operate.” He added, “The IDF will allow the political echelon flexibility to pursue any hostage deal. A hostage deal is not a pause—it is an achievement. That’s what we’re working toward.”
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Later in the evening, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin held a press briefing from southern Israel. “Unlike in the past, this time we will fight until victory,” he said. “We are prepared for any development.” He emphasized that the IDF is acting under the directives of the political leadership and added, “We are entering the next phase of combat, progressing gradually and according to a structured plan that incorporates operational lessons from the fighting so far. The fighting is fully coordinated with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. They are always in our sights, and we will not rest until they return.”