US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk in the midst of a joint news conference in the White House in Washington, US, Jan. 28, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyuahu has presented to US officials a proposal to end the war in Gaza in exchange for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas giving up power and its leaders leaving the enclave, according to a new report.

Under the plan, Israel would agree to release “senior” Palestinian prisoners that it did not want to free during the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal, which began on Jan. 19, the news site Axios reported on Thursday. In return, Hamas would release the remaining hostages, cede control of Gaza, and send its top leaders — including those serving jail sentences — into exile.

During his trip to Washington this week, Netanyahu reportedly informed the Trump administration that he does not believe the war in Gaza can end while Hamas controls the coastal enclave, arguing that an unconditional surrender by the terrorist group and an expulsion of its leaders would open the possibility for a lasting peace. 

According to Axios, Netanyahu told US officials this week that he wants to prolong the first phase of the ceasefire beyond the 42-day benchmark in order to free more than the 33 hostages originally agreed upon. Israel, which initially agreed to release more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners during the first phase of the deal, would release more in exchange for the release of more hostages.

Israeli officials close to the deal believe that a renegotiation could result in securing the release of two or three more hostages during the first phase. Furthermore, observers believe that an extension of the first phase of the deal would buy Israel more time to negotiate the freedom of its citizens without having to vacate troops from Gaza.

If Netanyahu succeeds in extending the first phase of the ceasefire, he plans on presenting Hamas officials a proposal to release a set of “senior” Palestinian prisoners that Israel initially refused to free, Axios reported.

According to Israeli officials, Hamas has reportedly agreed to hand over civilian governance of Gaza and relinquish reconstruction duties to the Palestinian Authority or another party.

However, there are some potential roadblocks that could result in a resumption of the war in Gaza, senior Israeli officials warn. The terrorist group will not agree to disarm or dissolve its military wing, according to Axios. Moreover, Israeli officials say the odds that Hamas leaders willingly exile themselves from the Gaza Strip are “extremely low.”

The post Israel Presents White House With Plan to End Gaza War if Hamas Gives Up Power, Leaders Go Into Exile: Report first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Families and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas gather to demand a deal that will bring back all the hostages held in Gaza, outside a meeting between hostage representatives and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem, Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

As Israel prepares for the fifth wave of hostages to be released under the recently brokered ceasefire with Hamas on Saturday, the nation remains vigilant against potential violations by the Palestinian terrorist group.

A significant aspect of the ceasefire agreement involves the IDF’s planned withdrawal from the Netzarim corridor, a strategic area that bisects the Gaza Strip. If the process proceeds without incident, the military intends to complete this withdrawal by Sunday, signaling a step toward de-escalation.

However, the Israeli military on Friday said that it had bolstered its presence at key points within the Gaza Strip. The Southern Command’s leadership has conducted multiple field assessments alongside frontline soldiers to ensure readiness for any unforeseen developments during the hostage transfer process.

Israel’s defense ministry said that any violation of the agreement will be dealt with severely.

Hamas claimed that Israel had not fulfilled its side of the deal in transferring humanitarian aid, but Israel denied the claim, saying that 12,600 trucks of aid had arrived in Gaza since the beginning of the deal’s implementation on Jan. 19.

Israel was slated to receive the list of hostages scheduled for release in the fifth wave on Friday, but Hamas delayed announcing the names of the three Israelis due to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, who were largely detained for terrorist activity.

Unlike previous exchanges, Hamas has not committed to a specific category of hostages for this round, adding a layer of uncertainty and tension for the families awaiting news.

Israel is exerting diplomatic pressure on mediators to prioritize the release of Shiri Bibas and her young children, Kfir and Ariel.

The forthcoming hostage releases over the next month under phase one of the ceasefire deal are expected to include 20 individuals: seven adults over the age of 50, ten identified as sick or wounded, and three members of the Bibas family.

The list of sick or wounded individuals includes American-Israeli Sagi Dekel-Chen.

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the war in Gaza when they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages during their invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in the neighboring enclave. The conflict raged for nearly 16 months until both sides agreed to last month’s ceasefire and hostage-release deal, the first phase of which is set to last six weeks.

During phase one, Hamas is supposed to inform Israel of the next hostages to be freed 24 hours before their release.

US President Donald Trump’s new proposal to “take over” Gaza has introduced a contentious element into the fragile ceasefire agreement.

Critics argue that the plan could undermine the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but others say it will only strengthen Israel’s position. An unnamed Hamas official cited by Israel’s Channel 12 said that the terrorist group would see how the plan develops before deciding to change the terms of the deal. Nonetheless, the official said that the “takeover” proposal would not thwart the first phase of the plan.

Seventy-nine hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Upon the conclusion of the initial phase of the agreement, 59 hostages will still be held in Gaza, with 35 already declared deceased.

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PA President Mahmoud Abbas at the UN General Assembly in New York. Photo: Reuters/Caitlin Ochs

In a case that could redefine the legal landscape for victims of terrorism seeking justice, the US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) over their role in incentivizing violence against Americans abroad.

The high-profile brief — filed this week by a legal coalition and more than a dozen organizations in response to the 2018 murder of Israeli-American Ari Fuld by a Palestinian terrorist — calls on justices to hold Palestinian leadership accountable for its controversial “pay-for-slay” program.

The amicus brief, submitted on Tuesday by the International Legal Forum (ILF) and 16 other Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, argues that the PA and PLO have long been complicit in orchestrating and financially rewarding acts of terror.

“Since their founding, the PLO and the Palestinian Authority have been an instrumental element in inciting, funding, and rewarding terrorism, especially through the pay-for-slay program,” ILF CEO Arsen Ostrovsky told The Algemeiner. “They are not a powerless bystander but a leading driver of modern-day terrorism. Enough is enough.”

The so-called “pay-for-slay” scheme has been widely condemned by US lawmakers, with reports estimating that approximately 8 percent of the PA’s budget is allocated to paying stipends to convicted terrorists and their families. As outlined in the ILF’s legal filing, “the more deadly the attack and the longer the terrorist spends in prison, the greater the stipends they receive.”

The legal brief contends that the US Congress has clear constitutional authority to permit American victims of Palestinian terrorism to sue the PA and PLO in US courts, since these entities have maintained a presence on American soil and were previously warned that their activities could expose them to legal action. Palestinian leaders “had been on notice that their activities would subject them to jurisdiction, yet have continued to reward and sponsor terrorism regardless,” Ostrovsky said.

The lawsuit was initially filed under the US Anti-Terrorism Act by Fuld’s widow and other American victims of Palestinian terror, seeking damages from the PA and PLO. However, the case faced a major setback in 2023 when the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that US federal courts lack jurisdiction over the Palestinian entities, citing concerns over the due process rights of foreign organizations.

Congress attempted to address this legal gap in 2019 with the passage of the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), which sought to ensure that the PA and PLO could be held accountable in American courts if they funded attacks against US citizens or conducted activities within the United States. The brief argues that the PA and PLO have done both, and therefore must face legal consequences.

“It is imperative to hold not only Hamas accountable, but the Palestinian leadership as well,” Ostrovsky said. “Acts of terror, such as the one that claimed the life of Ari Fuld, do not occur in a vacuum. They are the direct result of a pervasive Palestinian infrastructure that indoctrinates hate and incentivizes violence.”

The development coincides with an ongoing ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which included the release last month of Ari Fuld’s killer, Khalil Jabarin. Ari Fuld’s brother, Hillel Fuld, said the family’s “personal grievance and loss was currently amplified” by Jabarin’s release from prison.

Reflecting on the hostage deal that saw Jabarin walk free — financially secure by Palestinian standards due to the pay-for-slay stipends he received while in prison — Fuld acknowledged that the situation was “not black and white.”

“On the one hand this is a terrible, terrible deal from a strategic perspective, and there’s no sugarcoating the fact that letting go of thousands of monsters is just horrible,” he told The Algemeiner. “The flip side is that it’s the most beautiful thing there is to see those families reunited, and it’s a fundamental pillar of Judaism to free our prisoners, our people, and our soldiers need to know that we will do whatever it takes to bring them back if such a thing happens to them.”

Ostrovsky expressed his hope that the Supreme Court would hold Palestinian leaders accountable and prevent them from “rewarding and underwriting murderers of American nationals abroad, like Ari Fuld.”

The court’s decision to take up the case marks a pivotal moment in US counterterrorism law. If the justices rule in favor of the plaintiffs, it could set a precedent allowing American victims of international terrorism to pursue legal claims against foreign entities that support or enable such attacks. The brief was filed on behalf of ILF by the Holtzman Vogel law firm as well as the National Jewish Advocacy Center, with oral arguments expected later in the year.

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