Report: Hamas Agreed to IDF Presence in Gaza in Deal to Release Only Few Hostages

Photo Credit: Oren Cohen/Flash90

Hamas Tunnel in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, November 28, 2024.

In a potential breakthrough after months of stalled diplomacy, Hamas has agreed to two critical Israeli demands for a cease-fire in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night, citing Arab mediators who signaled a possible path toward releasing Israeli hostages and halting the fighting in the Strip.

For the first time, the terrorist group indicated it would accept Israeli forces remaining in Gaza temporarily after a ceasefire took effect, a significant shift after previously rejecting any Israeli military presence.

Hamas also submitted a list of hostages, including US citizens, it would be willing to release under a truce agreement – a gesture not seen since the conflict’s last ceasefire talks collapsed.

Hamas has been holding 100 hostages in the Gaza Strip for 433 days. According to the outline of the deal currently on the table, only a relatively small number of hostages will be released. The mediators believe that in the next stage of the deal, it would be possible to reach an agreement on the release of all the hostages, but they point out that in order to do so, Israel would have to accept Hamas’s demand to end the war and withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz (l) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Syrian border, December 8, 2024. / Koby Gideon (GPO)

However, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he believed there was a chance to reach a new deal to release all the hostages. He said as much in conversation with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The position in Jerusalem is that all the hostages are entitled to release on humanitarian grounds.

The proposed deal, brokered by Egypt with US support, builds on diplomatic momentum generated by the ceasefire in Lebanon that was secured last month, which has largely held despite sporadic accusations of violations from Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the reported progress.

Diplomatic sources cautioned that while the latest talks seem promising, previous negotiations have repeatedly faltered at the last minute, leaving hopes for a lasting truce uncertain.

As part of the latest proposal, Israel and Hamas are weighing a 60-day ceasefire that could lead to the release of up to 30 hostages held in Gaza, including US citizens. In return, Israel would free Arab terrorists from its security prisons and allow increased humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, the mediators said.

Progress toward a deal follows a late November visit by an Egyptian delegation to Israel, aimed at reviving stalled ceasefire talks. The diplomatic push gained urgency after President-elect Donald Trump warned on Truth Social earlier this month that there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if hostages were not freed before his January inauguration.

Trump’s blunt remarks added pressure on both sides, injecting a new element into the delicate negotiations. US officials have since intensified back-channel efforts to secure the release of American citizens and defuse the volatile situation.