Hamas and Israel have reached an agreement to resolve a deadlock that threatened to derail the ongoing ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The agreement, announced late Tuesday by both Hamas and an Israeli official, involves the exchange of four Israeli hostages’ bodies for 602 Palestinian security prisoners.
This breakthrough is expected to allow the ceasefire’s first phase to be completed.
According to Hamas, the delay in releasing the final batch of Palestinian prisoners, originally set for Saturday,has now been resolved.
“An agreement was reached to resolve the issue of the delayed release of Palestinian prisoners who were supposed to be freed in the last batch,” the group stated. “They will be released simultaneously with the bodies of the Israeli prisoners agreed upon for transfer during the first phase, in addition to an equivalent number of Palestinian women and children.”
An Israeli official confirmed the deal, noting that the exchange will be conducted through Egypt on Wednesday, though some reports suggest it may be delayed until Thursday.
Israel had withheld the Palestinian prisoners’ release, citing Hamas’s violations of the deal, particularly regarding the return of the Bibas family’s remains and propaganda displays during previous hostage releases.
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Hamas had agreed to refrain from such ceremonies when handing over the four slain hostages.
However, similar assurances had been made before the return of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz, only for Israel to claim they were not upheld. As a result, Jerusalem insisted that Palestinian prisoners would not be freed until the hostages’ bodies were received.
Hamas stated that the agreement was finalized during discussions in Cairo between its delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, and Egyptian officials.
“The Hamas leadership delegation reaffirmed its clear position on the need for full and precise adherence to all its terms and stages,” the group said.
Despite the deal, the long-term future of the ceasefire remains uncertain. The multiphase agreement, reached last month, put a temporary halt to 15 months of hostilities that began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage.
Under the deal, Hamas is required to release all remaining hostages, while Israel must free thousands of Palestinian security prisoners, including those serving life sentences.
The agreement also includes a halt to military operations in Gaza, followed by negotiations for a “sustainable calm” and a potential withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Once the first phase concludes with the final hostage releases, Israel has outlined three possible paths for Hamas. The group could comply with Israel’s conditions—disarm, send its leaders into exile, and relinquish civil control of Gaza—leading to the second phase of the deal, which includes the full release of hostages and an end to the war.
Alternatively, Hamas could continue releasing hostages incrementally, extending the ceasefire. The third option, a return to hostilities, would mean the breakdown of the truce.
“If Hamas does not release more hostages by Saturday, March 8, the ceasefire will be considered over,” the Israeli official warned. He also stated that Israel now has “a new defense minister, a new chief of staff, all the weapons we need, and full legitimacy, one hundred percent, from the Trump administration,” suggesting that if war resumes, it will escalate significantly. “The gates of hell will be opened, as they say,” he added.
Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel soon, after postponing a trip initially scheduled for Wednesday.
“He is waiting for things to be a bit more ripe,” an Israeli official said. Witkoff noted at an event in Washington that Israeli negotiators were heading to Qatar and Egypt this week to discuss the next steps in the agreement.
“We’re making a lot of progress. Israel is sending a team right now as we speak,” he said, adding that talks would focus on advancing phase two and securing further hostage releases. If discussions progress well, Witkoff indicated he might join the negotiations on Sunday.
Amid these developments, four recently freed hostages have written a heartfelt letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to prioritize the return of those still held in Gaza. Or Levy, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Ofer Calderon, and Tal Shoham appealed to the government, emphasizing the emotional toll on their families.
“We were not the only ones who went through hardships and upheavals during this period. Our families and children suffered [and are still suffering] from ongoing trauma, and at the time, endless uncertainty and longing,” they wrote.
They stressed the need for long-term rehabilitation for their children, who endured immense psychological distress. Some children were also taken hostage and released while their fathers remained captive. Others had to witness the horrors of October 7 firsthand and now continue to suffer as their fathers remain in captivity.
“The State of Israel has a duty to put the welfare of children and the welfare of families first, and to do everything in its power so that the hostage fathers, some of whom are dead… are returned as soon as possible,” the letter continued.
They pleaded for an answer to their children’s painful question: “Where is dad?”
“This is the least that can be done for us,” they wrote. “This is the essence of solidarity, of concern for others, and of thinking about the next generation.”
At the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Noa Argamani, one of the hostages rescued from Gaza in June 2024, urged world leaders to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining captives.
“I was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Nova music festival with my partner, Avinatan Or,” she said, holding up a photo of her partner, who is still in captivity. “We were taken by force into Gaza, we were held in total fear, living in a nightmare.”
After eight months in captivity, she was rescued by Israeli forces. “Being here today is a miracle,” she told the council. “But I’m here today to tell you we have no time. As I speak, there are still 63 hostages living in a nightmare.”
Argamani recalled the horrifying conditions of captivity, mentioning that she was held alongside two young girls, Hila Rotem and Emily Hand.
“I had to be brave, not only for myself but also for the girls,” she said. The two were eventually released in the November 2023 truce, while Argamani was left behind.
“I know what it [feels like] to be left behind, or watch other hostages being released to their families,” she said. “But I can tell you this is exactly how the hostages are feeling today. Abandoned by the world.”
Terror groups in Gaza continue to hold 63 hostages, including 62 of those taken on October 7. Among them are the remains of at least 36 people confirmed dead by the Israeli military.
During the ongoing ceasefire, Hamas has freed 30 hostages—20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals—alongside the remains of four slain Israeli captives.
Additionally, the group released 105 civilians in a weeklong truce in November 2023, and four others were freed earlier in the war.
To date, Israeli forces have rescued eight hostages alive, while the bodies of 41 have been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by Israeli troops as they attempted to escape captivity. Another soldier’s body, held since 2014, also remains in Hamas’s possession.
As the ceasefire’s first phase nears its conclusion, all eyes are on Hamas’s next move—and whether peace can be sustained or war will resume.
