Benjamin Netanyahu announces the possible release of the hostages “in the coming days”, while Hamas accuses Israel of “Massacres” and asks for international pressure

Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of the hostages held in the Gaza “in the coming days”. While indirect negotiations to cease fire are to begin in Egypt, tensions increase between Israel, Hamas and the international community.

New discussions for the cessation of war will begin in Egypt. Photo: EPA-EFE

“Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized”

In a television statement held during the evening on Saturday, October 4, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he hopes that the issuance of Hamas-detained hostages will be announced “in the coming days”.

On the same occasion, he stressed that the military objective of Israel remains unchanged: the complete neutralization of the Armed capacities of Hamas.

“Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized, either easily or hard, but this will be achieved”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The statement comes shortly after Hamas announced, in a statement, that he is willing to release the Israeli hostages according to the US Plan proposed by the US, but without accepting complete disarmament and demanding additional negotiations on other topics, according to the BBC.

Hamas accuses Israel of “massacres” and asks for international pressures

In reply to the statements of the Israeli Prime Minister, Hamas accused Israel of having committed “Massacres” in Gaza, following Saturday morning attacks. The group has asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the bombings and to facilitate a real fire termination agreement.

The indirect negotiations between the parties are to begin on Monday, October 6, in Egypt, in a new diplomatic effort supported by the United States.

“Let's finish this, quickly”

US President Donald Trump intervened in peace discussions, warning that he “will not tolerate delays” from Hamas in signing the agreement.

In a message published on his platform, Social Truth, Trump said: “Hamas has to act quickly, otherwise everything will be lost … Let's finish this, fast.”

Subsequently, the US leader added that Israel accepted the initial withdrawal line, referring to the peace plan developed by its administration, which provides for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from certain areas of the gas.

US plan for issuing hostages and cessation of fire

The American plan, informally known as the “Trump Plan”, contains 20 main points. It proposes, among the alleys, an immediate cessation of hostilities, the release of Israeli hostages in life and the return of the remains of the deceased, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

The Israeli defense forces (IDF) confirmed by a post on the X platform that they received the order to accelerate the preparations for implementing the first phase of the plan.

An ambiguous response from Hamas

Under the media and diplomatic pressure, Hamas sent a “yes, but” type response, accepting the release of all hostages and proposing that Gaza be administered by a technocrat government.

However, the group did not mention anything about the deposit of weapons, one of the essential requirements of Israel, and this aspect, says experts, maintains the uncertainty on the results of the negotiations.

A prudent optimism in Israel and Gaza

On both sides of the front, the reactions were mixed. In Israel, public opinion is divided, but many Israelis concern the new discussions with hope, the families of the hostages sending emotional messages and expressing the hope that finally, a solution will be reached.

Vicky Cohen, the mother of one of the 20 hostages who are believed to be still alive, told the BBC: “It is a fragile situation and we do not want to be disappointed again. And yet, I feel the hope that I will see Nimrod soon and I will be able to hug it again.”

And in the gaza the reactions oscillate between hope and distrust. Thus, while some inhabitants are afraid that Hamas has fallen into a trap and that Israel will resume war immediately after the hostage release, others see a historical opportunity to end a conflict that lasts for almost two years.

“Do not be carried by optimism”, Ibrahim Fares, a resident of Gaza, warned. “There will be rounds of negotiations for details. The devil always hides in details.”

The attacks continue

Despite calm calls, Israeli military operations continued. On Saturday morning, October 4, three air attacks hit the city of Gaza, one of them causing a person's death and injuring others, according to Al-Shifa Hospital.

The Ministry of Health of Gaza, controlled by Hamas, announced that 66 people have been killed in the last 24 hours, raising the total balance of the war to 67,074 dead from the outbreak of the conflict, in October 2023.

Since the beginning of the Israeli offensive, most of the population in Gaza has been displaced several times, and over 90% of the homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.