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Hamas Official Says Group Open to Freeing Hostages, Five-Year Truce in Gaza

08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighter of the Ezzeddine al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas hand over Israeli Hostages Or Levy (R), Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the fifth batch of the first phase of the ceasefire exchange deal. (dpa)
08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighter of the Ezzeddine al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas hand over Israeli Hostages Or Levy (R), Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the fifth batch of the first phase of the ceasefire exchange deal. (dpa)
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Hamas Official Says Group Open to Freeing Hostages, Five-Year Truce in Gaza

08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighter of the Ezzeddine al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas hand over Israeli Hostages Or Levy (R), Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the fifth batch of the first phase of the ceasefire exchange deal. (dpa)
08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighter of the Ezzeddine al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas hand over Israeli Hostages Or Levy (R), Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the fifth batch of the first phase of the ceasefire exchange deal. (dpa)

Hamas is open to an agreement to end the Gaza war that would include the one-time release of all remaining hostages and a five-year cessation of hostilities, an official from the Palestinian group said Saturday.

"Hamas is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a delegation from his group was set to meet mediators in Cairo later in the day.

On April 17, Hamas, which opposes a "partial" ceasefire agreement, rejected an Israeli proposal that included a 45-day truce in exchange for the return of 10 living hostages.

The group has consistently demanded that a truce agreement must lead to the end of the war, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a prisoner exchange, and the immediate and sufficient entry of humanitarian aid into the war-battered Palestinian territory.

Israel, for its part, demands the return of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza -- the latter being a "red line" for the movement.

The war was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

Of the 251 people taken hostage that day, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 who are dead, according to the Israeli army.

A truce from January 19 to March 17 allowed the return of 33 hostages to Israel, including eight who were deceased, in exchange for the release of about 1,800 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

According to figures published by the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, at least 2,062 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli offensive resumed on March 18, bringing the total death toll in Gaza to 51,439 since the start of the war.

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Arab World

Washington’s Alleged Plan to Relocate Gaza Residents to Libya Stirs Backlash

Libyan politicians and parliamentarians described talks about the "Washington plan" to displace the residents of Gaza to Libya "a red line". (Reuters) 
Libyan politicians and parliamentarians described talks about the "Washington plan" to displace the residents of Gaza to Libya "a red line". (Reuters) 
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Washington’s Alleged Plan to Relocate Gaza Residents to Libya Stirs Backlash

Libyan politicians and parliamentarians described talks about the "Washington plan" to displace the residents of Gaza to Libya "a red line". (Reuters) 
Libyan politicians and parliamentarians described talks about the "Washington plan" to displace the residents of Gaza to Libya "a red line". (Reuters) 

Reports of a US plan under President Donald Trump’s administration to permanently relocate nearly one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya have sparked strong opposition among Libyan politicians and lawmakers.
Both the Government of National Unity and the Government of National Stability have remained silent on the matter, declining to comment on the leaked reports.
Asharq Al-Awsat reached out to both administrations via email but received no response. However, Talal Al-Maihoub, head of the Defense and National Security Committee in Libya’s House of Representatives, firmly dismissed the idea, calling the relocation of Palestinians to Libya a “red line.”
“Despite the political instability Libya is going through, the Palestinian cause remains our top priority,” Al-Maihoub told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We reject any attempt to dismantle the cause or displace the people of Gaza.”
Amid widespread anti-government protests in Tripoli, Libyan social media erupted with reactions to a report by NBC News, which cited two informed sources and a former US official. According to the report, the Trump administration had seriously explored a plan to resettle Palestinians in Libya, even going so far as to discuss it with Libyan authorities. In exchange, Washington would unfreeze billions of dollars in Libyan assets that have been held for over a decade.
The backlash was not limited to parliament. Abdulaziz Hariba, head of the Political Committee in the Libyan High Council of State, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Libyans “categorically reject the relocation of Palestinians to Libya” and refuse to even entertain such discussions.
This isn’t the first time such speculation has surfaced. In March, a US media outlet reported that Libya was allegedly willing to accept a number of Palestinian refugees—a claim the Government of National Unity quickly denied. At the time, it reiterated Libya’s consistent support for the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to live freely and with dignity on their own land.
Political parties in Libya have also expressed their rejection of the idea. Mohamed Hassan Makhlouf, deputy head of the Liberal People’s Party, said any attempt by Washington to impose such a plan would be unacceptable. “Libya is already facing deep political divisions, ongoing military tensions, and serious security challenges,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We are also under Chapter VII of the UN Charter—conditions that make Libya completely unfit to host displaced populations.”
Meanwhile, Ben Fishman, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the idea of relocating a million Palestinians is highly exaggerated. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Fishman noted that the media leaks appear to overlook Libya’s stance on the matter.