Hamas Agrees To Free 10 Living Hostages, 18 Bodies In Response To US Ceasefire Proposal

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Last Updated: May 31, 2025, 22:13 IST

Hamas’s decision came after Israeli officials approved the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the nearly 20-month war in Gaza, which has killed over 54,000 people.

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Hamas on Saturday said it had responded to the latest US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, saying 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be freed from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal.

Israel resumed its offensive on March 28, killing over 4,000 Palestinians since. (Reuters)

“As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,” the group said in a statement.

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This followed a day after Israel said must accept a hostage deal in Gaza or “be annihilated” as US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire agreement was “very close”. The warning came amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations warning that Gaza’s entire population was at risk of famine.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas must agree to a ceasefire proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff or be destroyed, after the Palestinian militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. “The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the ‘Witkoff Deal’ for the release of the hostages — or be annihilated,” he said.

Hamas Seeking ‘Amendments’ To Ceasefire Proposal

Meanwhile, a senior official with Hamas told The Associated Press said they are seeking amendments to the ceasefire proposal to the United States. “There are some notes and amendments to some points, especially on the US guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces,” the official said.

A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in March following a short-lived truce that have killed more than 4,000 Palestinians.

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Meanwhile, food shortages in Gaza persist, with aid only trickling in after the partial lifting of a two-month blockade, woefully insufficient to help the widespread hunger in the Palestinian enclave. Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, called Gaza “the hungriest place on Earth”.

(with inputs from agencies)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More

Location : Jerusalem, Israel

First Published: May 31, 2025, 21:55 IST

Hamas responds to US ceasefire proposal for Gaza with pledge to release 10 surviving hostages

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in response to the US’ Gaza ceasefire proposals. Picture: Alamy

By Shannon Cook

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in response to the US’ Gaza ceasefire proposals.

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The full details of the US ceasefire plan are yet to be made public and are unconfirmed.

Israel has not yet responded to Hamas’ response to the proposed ceasefire deal.

The key points below are reportedly included in the proposal, according to Reuters.

A 60-day pause in fighting

The release of 28 Israeli hostages – alive and dead – in the first week, and the release of 30 more once a permanent ceasefire is in place

The release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians

The sending of humanitarian aid to Gaza via the United Nations and other agencies

Hamas – a proscribed terror group in the UK, US and EU – says the response aims for a “permanent ceasefire” and “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Meanwhile, Hamas is seeking guarantees that aid will be able to safely arrive to Palestinians in Gaza.

Hamas also says it will release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for “an agreed upon number” of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Read more: US submits new Gaza ceasefire proposal with Israeli support while Hamas evaluates, White House says

Read more: Last working hospital in North Gaza out of service after Israeli military orders evacuation

‘Your question is extremely unprofessional’: Tom Swarbrick debates with Hamas’ lawyer

Earlier this week, The White House said Israel had “signed off” on Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s plan.

Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and resumed its military offensive against Hamas on 18 March – ending a two-month ceasefire mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt.

The news of a ceasefire proposal comes as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks on Saturday, according to the UN World Food Program.

The WFP said 77 trucks carrying aid – mostly flour – were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks had reached their destination.

This also follows from the news that four people died after hundreds of Palestinians stormed a United Nations warehouse in Gaza in a desperate search for food supplies.

Two people were crushed while two others died from gunshot wounds, health officials said.

It came as crowds descended on a World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza earlier on Wednesday.

Women and children also sustained injuries from gunshot wounds, a Red Cross field hospital said.

Large parts of the crowd could be seen carrying large bags of flour while they tried to force their way into the warehouse.

A UN envoy compared the limited aid being allowed into Gaza to “a lifeboat after the ship has sunk”.

Sigrid Kaag, the acting UN special coordinator for the Middle East, told the UN security council that people facing famine in Gaza “have lost hope”.

The Palestinian health ministry said 60 have been killed and 284 people have been injured in the past 24 hours.

This brings the total death toll to 54,381 since the beginning of the war on 7 October 2023.

A further 124,054 have been injured.

Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and resumed its military offensive against Hamas on 18 March – ending a two-month ceasefire mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt. Picture: Alamy

Israel had previously blocked any humanitarian aid, including food, water and medical supplies, from entering Gaza for three months.

Israel lifted the block to allow a “basic quantity of food” in to prevent a “starvation crisis”, basing this “on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas.”

This week, militant group Hamas ordered Palestinians to stay away from vital aid delivered by a US-backed organisation.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has ties to both the Israeli and US governments, has been approved by Israel to take over aid deliveries inside the Strip, despite strong opposition from the UN and most aid groups.

The Hamas-linked Home Front published a statement which said: “Do not go to Rafah …Do not fall into the trap…Do not risk your lives. Your homes are your fortress. Staying in your neighbourhoods is survival, and awareness is your protection.

“These schemes will be broken by the steadfastness of a people who do not know defeat.”

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar.

Sinwar was the younger brother of the group’s former leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the IDF last year, and the de facto leader in Gaza.

Speaking to parliament on Wednesday, Netanyahu included Mohammed in a list of Hamas leaders killed in strikes.

Israel targeted Sinwar in a set of strikes on the European hospital in Khan Younis.

The attack killed 28 Palestinians and wounded over 50 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Hamas said on Saturday that it has responded “positively” to a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The militant group was also seeking some amendments, a senior official with the group told The Associated Press.

“There some notes and amendments to some points, especially on the US guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces,” the official said.

The proposal targets a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an ensured flow of aid, according to a separate statement. It said 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be released “in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners”.

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Israeli officials approved the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the nearly 20-month war and US President Donald Trump had said negotiators were nearing a deal.

Why is a Gaza ceasefire important

A ceasefire would pause the fighting for 60 days, release some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials.

The group said the deal should lead to a permanent end to the war, a position that has been a major sticking point in past negotiations.

According to a statement cited by Reuters, Hamas said its reply came after “a round of national consultations” and that the offer aims to secure a lasting ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the continued delivery of humanitarian aid.

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The group said it would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for the release of an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners. These terms align with Witkoff’s recent proposal, reported by Reuters.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has not responded to the latest statement.

Talks to reach a new ceasefire have been difficult. Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas disarms and is removed from power. Hamas, in turn, has said it will not give up its weapons and insists that Israel must pull out of Gaza and end the military campaign.

The current conflict began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s military response has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health authorities say, with much of the territory heavily damaged.

Hamas on Saturday said it had responded to a ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying 10 living hostages would be freed from Gaza as part of the deal.

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The Palestinian militant group did not explicitly say it had accepted the version of the proposal it received on Thursday, which reportedly included a provision for the release of 10 living hostages.

Hamas noted that its response had been made out of a “sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering”.

The White House previously said the proposal had been approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages “or be annihilated”.

Hamas said in a statement on Friday that it had “submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest proposal to the mediating parties”.

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“As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,” it added.

Gaza: Hamas announced on Saturday that it has formally responded to a ceasefire plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. The group stated that its reply was conveyed to mediators and emphasized a core demand: a complete end to the ongoing war in Gaza — a condition that Israel has consistently opposed.

In a statement, the Palestinian militant group said the proposal includes the release of ten Israeli hostages who are still alive, along with the return of 18 bodies. In exchange, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. The proposed deal aligns with the framework put forward by Witkoff, Reuters reported.

“This initiative seeks to establish a lasting ceasefire, ensure a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid to our people,” the Hamas statement read, noting that its response followed internal consultations across Palestinian factions.

While the statement didn’t indicate that Hamas demanded revisions to the original offer, a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that the group did propose certain changes, although their overall reaction remained constructive.

Israel yet to respond

Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has not issued a comment regarding Hamas’ response. However, Israeli news outlets reported earlier in the week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had informed families of hostages that Israel had accepted the terms of the U.S.-backed deal. The Prime Minister’s Office did not confirm or deny the report at the time.

Long-standing disagreements between Hamas and Israel have derailed multiple ceasefire efforts since the collapse of the last truce in March. Israel continues to demand that Hamas fully disarm, relinquish its military and administrative control in Gaza, and release all remaining hostages — now estimated to be 58 — before any formal end to hostilities can be considered.

War’s toll on Gaza

Hamas, on the other hand, has rejected calls to disarm and insists that Israel must end its military operations and withdraw from Gaza entirely. The war began after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas fighters in southern Israel, which left around 1,200 people dead and 251 others abducted, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a wide-scale military offensive in Gaza, which Palestinian health officials say has claimed over 54,000 lives and devastated much of the enclave.