Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to the White House next week for his second visit this year, as the New York Times revealed initial details of a proposed framework for the return of Israeli hostages. Under the outline, 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 deceased hostages would be released by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in five phases over a 60-day ceasefire.
The full terms of the proposal remain unclear, and further negotiations are expected to finalize the agreement, particularly if it is to lead to a lasting ceasefire.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, currently in Estonia to inaugurate Israel’s first embassy in the Baltic nation, said Wednesday that there are encouraging signs in the U.S.-led push to revive intensive ceasefire negotiations with Hamas. He added that Israel is eager for talks to resume “as soon as possible.”
“There are some positive signs,” Mr. Saar told reporters at a news conference, adding that “Our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,” Hamas said on Wednesday that it is reviewing the new proposal.
An Israeli source confirmed growing optimism that Hamas would agree to the deal this time, noting that “Qatar is exerting enormous pressure on the organization.”
President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social: “My Representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60-Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War. The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
WHAT ABOUT THE 10 WHO REMAIN BEHIND?
The fate of the 10 remaining hostages not included in the proposed release remains uncertain and deeply troubling. According to Israeli officials, these individuals are believed to be either held by factions not under Hamas’s direct control or possibly unaccounted for due to unclear intelligence or unknown whereabouts. Some may be in the custody of other militant groups in Gaza, such as Islamic Jihad or smaller armed cells, complicating their inclusion in the current negotiations. Others are feared to have been killed during captivity or Israeli operations, though without confirmation, they are still classified as missing or presumed alive.
Israel has vowed to continue efforts to secure the return of all hostages, including through military pressure, intelligence gathering, and diplomatic channels. Families of those not slated for release have expressed anguish, urging the government not to abandon them and demanding transparency and inclusion in any future agreements.
It is increasingly evident that Hamas has no intention of releasing all the hostages it holds, viewing them as its last remaining leverage—an insurance policy to guarantee the survival of its leadership, still hiding in Gaza’s tunnels. Agreeing to a partial release of just 10 living hostages, as currently proposed, could have devastating consequences. Such a move would risk abandoning the remaining captives to indefinite imprisonment or worse, effectively sealing their fate.
Critics warn that by accepting a partial deal, the Netanyahu government may inadvertently be signing the others’ death warrants, signaling to Hamas that it can retain human lives as bargaining chips indefinitely without consequence. The pressure to bring some hostages home is immense, but so is the moral and strategic cost of a deal that leaves others behind—and potentially removes any future incentive for Hamas to free them.
Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir are reportedly weighing a coordinated effort to block the emerging hostage deal, Kan 11 News reported Wednesday. According to the report, Ben Gvir approached Smotrich and proposed a meeting, claiming, “I cannot block such a move alone, but together we have enough votes to stop the deal.”
Smotrich’s associates denied the report, saying, “There was no approach from Ben Gvir—only a media briefing about an unscheduled meeting. The issue of victory in Gaza is too serious, and the lives of the hostages too valuable, to be reduced to media spin.”
Later, Ben Gvir reiterated his opposition to the deal, saying: “After the victory against Iran, we must keep up the momentum. The way to defeat Hamas is not by allowing it to regroup, not by releasing hundreds of murderous terrorists. The way to defeat Hamas and bring the hostages home is to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, halt humanitarian aid, go all the way through the evaluation phase—and win.”
The left-wing Families Headquarters—which stands in contrast to its right-leaning counterpart—pushed strongly on Wednesday for the partial hostage release deal, showing little concern for those captives who would remain behind. Instead, they directed their anger at the two ministers resisting the deal: “Smotrich and Ben Gvir have forgotten what it means to be Jewish, and what the values of goodness and mutual responsibility on which the State of Israel was founded truly mean. We have only one word for them this morning: shame.”
The mother of kidnapped soldier Guy Gilboa Dalal expressed her pain on Reshet Bet Radio, blaming the two ministers for obstructing her son’s release: “These two, with their ideology and worldview, are the reason my son remains stuck there.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, never one to miss a theatrical moment, promised Prime Minister Netanyahu a “safety net” in the Knesset: “In contrast to Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s 13 fingers, you have 23 from me. We must bring everyone home now.”
It was tempting to accompany his offer with an AI-generated image of Lapid sporting 23 fingers—but discretion prevailed. Still, Lapid’s definition of “everyone” to mean 10 out of 20 would have been amusing had the circumstances not been so tragic.
