Israel Dismisses Hamas Proposal as ‘Spin,’ Insists on Full Hostage Release and Disarmament

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rejecting reports that Hamas has offered a legitimate peace deal, saying in a statement that the "war could end immediately" if the terrorist group releases its hostages and is disarmed. 

Hamas announced this week that it was prepared for a deal involving a hostage–prisoner exchange, an Israeli withdrawal, the reopening of border crossings, and the launch of reconstruction efforts, the BBC reported. Hamas also said it had agreed to the creation of a post-war Gaza independent administration.

The Hamas statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Hamas release all of the Oct. 7 prisoners, writing, "Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!"

"Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!" - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/oeOxqd3XO3

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 3, 2025

The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters carried out a surprise cross-border assault on southern Israel, firing rockets and storming towns, military bases, and a music festival. The attack left roughly 1,200 people dead and hundreds taken hostage, marking the bloodiest day in Israel's history in decades and igniting the current war in Gaza.

The BBC reported that 48 hostages remain captive by Hamas -- 20 of whom are alive. 

Netanyahu labeled the statement by Hamas "spin."

"The war could end immediately on the conditions set by the Security Cabinet," Netanyahu said, outlining them as the full release of hostages, Hamas's disarmament, the demilitarization of Gaza, Israeli security control in the Strip, and the establishment of a civilian administration that "does not educate for terrorism, dispatch terrorists or threaten Israel."

"Only these conditions will prevent Hamas from rearming and returning to the massacre of October 7 again and again as it has promised," Netanyahu wrote. 

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is facing protests in his own country from hostage families who are urging him to accept a peace deal and allow their loved ones to come home. One of those took place on Wednesday, when families marched from the Knesset to Netanyahu's residence, according to the Times of Israel. 

"We are standing here with a very simple and direct message: We want a ceasefire and hostage deal, and it is [Netanyahu's] responsibility to do it," said Yehuda Cohen, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/MENAHEM KAHANA/Contributor

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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