Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today (Thursday) to the families of the hostages that Israel agrees to accept the latest Witkoff framework: “We agree to accept the most recent Witkoff framework that was delivered to us last night. Hamas has not yet responded. We do not believe Hamas will release the last hostage, and we will not leave Gaza until all the hostages are in our hands.”
Hamas announced that it is currently reviewing the new proposal.
10 Living Hostages and 18 Fallen
The outline, the details of which were revealed this morning, includes the release of 10 living hostages and 18 fallen in two stages over the course of a week, in exchange for prisoners and a 60-day ceasefire, during which negotiations for ending the war would take place. A senior political source clarified that contrary to some reports, the Witkoff agreement does not include the determination of a new deployment line for IDF forces, and it also does not specify how humanitarian aid would be distributed during the ceasefire.
Hamas Will Release Hostages, Israel Will Cease Offensive Operations, Trump to Act as Guarantor
According to the outline, on Day 1 of the ceasefire, Hamas would return five living hostages and the bodies of nine deceased hostages. On Day 7, the same would happen again – five more living hostages and nine more fallen. Finally, on Day 10, Hamas would provide a complete list of the remaining living hostages along with detailed medical reports on their condition. In parallel, Israel would immediately halt all offensive military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In return for the 10 living hostages, Israel would release 125 prisoners serving life sentences, and 1,111 Palestinian prisoners detained after October 7. For the 18 fallen hostages, Israel would return the bodies of 180 Palestinians in two parallel stages.
U.S. President Donald Trump would announce the ceasefire officially and act as a guarantor ensuring both sides honor the agreement. The U.S., Egypt, and Qatar would serve as international guarantors for the full arrangement, and envoy Witkoff is expected to visit the region to finalize the deal.
If negotiations do not lead to a final agreement, Israel would retain the right to resume combat operations or continue negotiations for further hostage releases.
