Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a plan for ending the war in Gaza in exchange for Hamas giving up power and its leaders leaving the territory, according to US sources and one Israeli source. The proposal includes allowing senior Hamas leadership to go into exile in a third-party country, but it’s uncertain whether Hamas will agree.
Netanyahu has said he doesn’t see a path to a post-war plan for Gaza as long as Hamas is in control. If Hamas relinquishes power and its leaders go into exile, it could open the door for a day-after plan, possibly including President Trump’s “Gaza takeover.” The plan aims to get Israel an agreement with the Trump administration on making some changes in the deal.
Under the current agreement, 59 hostages remain in Gaza after the full implementation of the first phase. Of those, 35 people have already been confirmed dead. Netanyahu wants to extend the first phase of the deal to release more hostages beyond the 33 included in the initial phase.
In exchange for additional hostages to be released, Israel is willing to release more Palestinian prisoners according to a ratio that would be negotiated. The US sources said Netanyahu indicated that if the first phase is extended, he intended to present Hamas with a proposal that includes ending the war in Gaza and releasing “senior” Palestinian prisoners not included in the initial deal.
Netanyahu’s idea has been met with skepticism by Hamas, which refuses to give up its military power or dismantle its military wing. Senior Israeli officials claim Hamas has agreed to give up civilian control of Gaza, but it remains uncertain whether this will be enough to satisfy Netanyahu.
The fate of the hostage-release and ceasefire deal hangs in the balance as negotiations continue between Israel, the US, Qatar, and Egypt. A meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is set to take place on Tuesday at the White House, with potential implications for the future of the deal.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/02/06/trump-netanyahu-gaza-hamas-leaders-exile