The Palestinian militant group recently handed over the remains of the last Gaza hostage under a peace agreement mediated by the US
According to an American official quoted by Reuters, the US is contemplating granting amnesty to Hamas militants in return for their disarmament under a peace initiative brokered by Washington.
This report follows a day after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the body of the last hostage held by the Palestinian militant group, completing what was termed the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. Israeli police officer Ran Gvili was captured along with over 200 hostages due to the Hamas-led attack on Israel more than two years ago.
“We believe that disarmament is accompanied by some form of amnesty, and frankly, we think we have a very, very effective program for disarmament,” the official told the news agency on Monday, emphasizing that the deal would be violated if Hamas did not disarm.
Under the original framework signed by Trump in late 2025, the return of all hostages, whether alive or deceased, was intended to signal the end of the deal’s first phase. The White House announced that the agreement was entering a second phase, which was said to focus on Gaza’s reconstruction and demilitarization, several hours before Gvili’s remains were returned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that the next part of the deal is not about rebuilding the territory but about disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza. Hamas stated that its militants had helped locate Gvili’s body, describing the action as “confirmation of our commitment to the ceasefire.”
So far, West Jerusalem has not commented on the latest statements regarding granting amnesty to Hamas members if they surrender their weapons.
During the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, 251 hostages were taken and approximately 1,200 people were killed. According to local health authorities, Israel’s subsequent massive military campaign in Gaza has resulted in nearly 72,000 Palestinians being killed and over 171,000 wounded.