Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday pledged that the country’s military will disarm Hamas in the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, which includes freeing all hostages, “either the easy or the hard way.” Netanyahu stated that Hamas would be demilitarised either through Israeli military action or via Trump’s proposal. He also indicated that Israel will not fully withdraw from Gaza, a demand Hamas has long been making.
“Israel’s military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and Hamas will be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically, or through a military path by us. You heard Trump, he will not accept additional delay. In the second phase, Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarised. This will happen either diplomatically through Trump’s plan or militarily by us. This will happen either the easy way or the hard way,” Netanyahu said in a video message in Hebrew.
אחיי ואחיותיי אזרחי ישראל, אנחנו על סף הישג גדול מאוד.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 4, 2025
זה עדיין לא סופי, אנחנו עובדים על כך במרץ, ואני מקווה בעזרת השם שבימים הקרובים, עוד במהלך חג הסוכות, אוכל לבשר לכם על השבת כל חטופינו, החיים והחללים כאחד, בפעימה אחת, כשצה"ל נשאר בעומק הרצועה ובשטחים השולטים בה. pic.twitter.com/pekpeVSCkP
The Israeli Prime Minister expressed hopes that the release of all hostages from Gaza could be announced “in the coming days,” ahead of the planned Israel-Hamas talks in Egypt on Monday.
“My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, we are on the verge of a very great achievement. This is still not final. We are working on it diligently, and I hope that in the coming days, still during the holiday of Sukkot, I will be able to announce to you the return of all our hostages, the living and the dead. At the same time, the IDF remains in the depths of the Gaza Strip and in the areas controlling it,” he said.
Trump sends Kushner, Witkoff to Egypt to help broker Gaza deal
Talks to end the war in Gaza are set to intensify in Egypt after Hamas announced it had accepted parts of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, according to a report by France 24.
Trump has dispatched his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and top West Asia negotiator Steve Witkoff to Cairo to lead US efforts, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that a delegation from Israel is also heading to Egypt “to finalise technical details.”
“Our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days,” Netanyahu said on Saturday, as per Al Jazeera. But he stressed Israel would not agree to a full withdrawal from Gaza, insisting that the military would continue holding areas under its control. He added that Hamas would eventually be disarmed either “through a diplomatic process or through a military path by us”.
Hamas announced on Friday night that it had approved the release of all captives both those alive and remains under Trump’s proposed exchange formula. The first stage of the plan involves releasing hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Trump immediately welcomed Hamas’s statement, calling it a sign the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE.” But on Saturday he warned that Hamas must act quickly, “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.”
Despite Trump’s call for a halt to Israeli airstrikes, bombardments continued on Saturday. Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 70 people were killed in strikes on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Cairo will host a wider conference of Palestinian factions to discuss Gaza’s post-war future. Hamas has said it wants a role in shaping the territory’s governance, while Trump’s plan states that neither Hamas nor other militant factions should govern Gaza.
A White House official confirmed that Trump is sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt to work out the details of the hostage release and prisoner exchange. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said delegations from Hamas and Israel will also join the talks on Monday, Times of Israel reported.
(with inputs from ANI)
ALSO READ: Gaza ceasefire soon? Trump says Israel agreed to withdrawal line, Hamas nod awaited
