Hamas Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Certain Conditions

Hamas agreed on Friday to release all remaining Israeli hostages, living and deceased, pending further negotiations and clarifications. 

The Details: Hamas made its statement shortly after President Donald Trump gave its leaders until Sunday to agree to the peace plan proposed by him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Hamas agreed to release the (assumed) 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, provided that “the field conditions for the exchange are met.” Further negotiations are expected to outline specifications and potential provisions of the exchange. Officials also asked for clarifications on factors such as timelines and weapons designations. 

For Context: The 20-point peace proposal, if agreed upon, would require Hamas to release all hostages and carry out a ceasefire agreement with Israel. In turn, Israel would release 1950 total detainees. Additionally, Hamas would “not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form,” and Israel would “not occupy or annex Gaza.” The deal declared that these conditions, among others, “may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” However, Trump said on Monday that Israel has the “full backing” of the US to further combatant measures against Hamas if the deal is not accepted.

How The Media Covered It: Bias was prevalent in word choice across the political spectrum. The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) called Hamas a “U.S.-designated terrorist group,” while New York Post (Lean Right) plainly called it a “terror group.” NBC (Lean Left) noted that the “Hamas-led terror attacks” on Oct. 7, 2023, left 1,200 dead and about 250 taken hostage. However, the outlet also referenced reports that “Israeli forces have killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in the past two years.” Of the three outlets’ articles, New York Post was the only one to mention two deceased Americans among the Hamas-held hostages. 

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