President Donald Trump stated on Monday that the remaining Israeli hostages will only be returned once Hamas is “confronted and destroyed,” even as the Gaza-based terrorist group cited alleged progress in ongoing ceasefire talks.
The U.S. and Israel withdrew their negotiators from Qatar last month, with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff indicating at the time that Hamas showed a “lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza” and likely wasn’t negotiating in good faith.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday morning.
“The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote. “Remember, I was the one who negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!). I was the one who ended 6 wars, in just 6 months. I was the one who OBLITERATED Iran’s Nuclear facilities. Play to WIN, or don’t play at all! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
A diplomat informed on the negotiations with Hamas told Fox News that “through pressure on Hamas to accept, Qatari and Egyptian mediators secured a breakthrough that preserves 98% of the Witkoff proposal, which the Israeli side had previously agreed to.”
“The mediators were able to secure this outcome despite recent events and developments moving toward further escalation,” the diplomat stated. “This step marks the beginning of the road to a comprehensive solution.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that mediators are “exerting extensive efforts” to revive a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some hostages would be released and the parties would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest. He spoke during a visit to Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza, which has not been operational since Israel took control of the Palestinian side in May 2024. He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
Abdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who arrived in Cairo last week. He said they are open to other ideas, including a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at once.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, later told the Associated Press that the terrorist group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating.
Tel Aviv protesters on Aug. 17, 2025, demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secure a deal with Hamas to release the remaining hostages. (Chen Junqing/Xinhua via Getty Images)
An Egyptian official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said the proposal includes changes to Israel’s pullback of its forces and guarantees for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire during the initial truce. The official said it is almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel, which has not yet joined the latest talks.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed, and to maintain lasting security control over Gaza.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
