Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “on the verge of a major achievement” after Hamas tentatively agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, but struck a more cautious tone in an interview published Sunday with Euronews, saying he cannot guarantee Hamas will release the hostages while Israeli forces remain deep inside Gaza.
“We accepted the deal, as did all the world. It was President Trump’s plan,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas says that it accepted the deal; now the onus is on Hamas. This plan consists of two parts: the first is releasing all the hostages, Israel makes a tactical withdrawal, [but] stays in Gaza. And then the second part is meant to demilitarize Gaza and disarm Hamas. That will be negotiated.”
Netanyahu: Let’s hope that we can finish it the easy way
(Video: Euronews)
“Of course, I can’t tell you if Hamas will agree to it,” Netanyahu added. “I think that it’s possible, I hope it will happen, but I can’t guarantee that it'll happen. And so if it doesn’t happen, what President Trump has said is that he will back Israel completely in acting forcefully against Hamas. Well, let’s hope that we can finish it the easy way and not the hard way.”
Netanyahu’s tempered remarks echoed those of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said earlier Sunday that “90% of the details” in the deal have been finalized but cautioned there is no certainty it will be completed. Trump, speaking separately, said the talks “don’t need flexibility,” though he acknowledged that “there are always changes.”
Officials familiar with the negotiations said gaps remain and it will take “a few days” to determine whether Hamas is serious about finalizing the agreement. According to the officials, Hamas is signaling that it will demand the release of several high-profile Palestinian prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, a condition Israel opposes.
Formal negotiations are scheduled to begin Monday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday night that the prime minister has authorized the delegation’s departure. The delegation will be led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, though Netanyahu’s office later clarified that Dermer will not travel with the team Monday and will instead join the talks later, likely on Tuesday, alongside U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Meanwhile, a Hamas source told Saudi network Al Arabiya that the group has begun collecting the bodies of hostages killed in Gaza. The source said Hamas requested a pause in Israeli bombardments “to complete the task” of recovering the bodies, following Israel’s suspension of offensive operations in the Gaza Strip over the weekend at Trump’s request.
The source added there was “American flexibility” regarding the timetable for the return of the bodies — apparently referring to Hamas’ claim that it cannot meet the U.S.-set 72-hour deadline for releasing all hostages, particularly those who were killed.
“We have received American guarantees, conveyed through Qatar, for a permanent Israeli withdrawal,” the Hamas source told Al Arabiya. He also claimed the group had agreed in principle to hand over its weapons to what he described as a “Palestinian-Egyptian authority under international supervision.” The claim could not be independently verified, and Hamas has previously said it would only consider disarmament after the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The discussions are taking place as Hamas leaders still recall last month’s failed assassination attempt against them in Doha. According to an Egyptian source quoted by the Qatari daily The New Arab, Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate, which oversees the negotiations, has imposed tight security measures on the Hamas delegation and its location. “For the first time, there will be heavy security, and signal-jamming systems will be activated around the delegation of the terrorist organization and its meeting sites in Egypt,” the source said.