Hamas on Wednesday said that it would release 10 hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire talks after Israel indicated towards ending the fighting in the Palestinian territory, AFP reported. The statement was released after four-days of indirect talks were held by Qatar.
United States president Donald Trump had earlier claimed that Israel had agreed to the “necessary conditions” of the ceasefire and the war would end soon. The US had proposed a 60-day ceasefire which it had claimed would be agreed to by the end of the week.
Trump on Wednesday said he believed a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was imminent. "I will tell you, we're getting very close to a deal," Trump said. “We want to have a ceasefire. We want to have peace. We want to get the hostages back. And I think we're close to doing it.”
“We have a chance this week or next week,” he added.
US Special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed that releasing the hostages who were held by Hamas was a part of the deal.
Hamas released a statement asserting that key hurdles still remained in the truce talks like free flow of aid into Gaza, Israeli military withdrawal from the territory and "real guarantees" for a lasting peace.
"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," the statement read.
The move comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump for his second meet at the White House. Netanyahu said that “We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and governance capabilities… because Gaza must have different future for our sake, for everyone's sake.”
Despite truce talks moving forward, Gaza's civil defence agency said Wednesday (July 9, 2025) 26 people were killed in Israeli strikes, at least six of them children, AFP reported.
