Israel and Hamas are set to swap more hostages for prisoners in another test of the Gaza ceasefire
Associated PressJAN 24
Hamas 'Ready to Release All Hostages' in Second Phase of Gaza Cease-fire
Above: A woman stares at posters of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, now informally called the "Hostages Square," on Feb. 19, 2025. Image copyright: Jack Guez/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that the group had informed mediators that it was "ready to release all hostages in one batch during the second phase of the agreement, rather than in stages." The official did not clarify if the bodies of dead hostages would be included.
Hamas would release all the hostages in exchange for the permanent end of the war and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel's foreign minister said on Tuesday that negotiations regarding the agreement's second phase would begin this week.
Hamas said on Tuesday that it had agreed to release the bodies of four dead captives — including the Bibas family — on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday. Hamas said in November 2023, just a month after its Oct. 7 attack, that the Bibas family had been killed in an Israeli strike.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Given the suffering of the hostages, it is essential that the cease-fire continues and negotiations for the second phase commence immediately. The tragic deaths of the Bibas children only further demonstrate that Israel will only get its hostages back through diplomacy — an approach that, though painful, is undeniably essential.
Pro-Israel narrative
Hamas cannot be allowed to get away with the brutality it inflicted upon Israeli civilians on Oct. 7. The purposeful killing of the Bibas children is a strong reminder to the world that Hamas is a ruthless terrorist organization that must be eliminated.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel is, yet again, using falsehoods in a petty attempt to undermine and sabotage the cease-fire. Israeli pundits spent over a year pretending the Bibas family was still alive when Hamas announced the family's death due to an airstrike a month into the war.