A mobile artillery unit fires towards Gaza near the border, in Israel, Sept. 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Hamas demanded the release of several high-profile Palestinian terrorists as ceasefire negotiations began in Egypt on Monday under US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, Hamas has pushed for the release of prominent Palestinian prisoners — including Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader serving five life sentences for orchestrating deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.

The Palestinian terrorist group has also sought the release of Ahmad Sa’adat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, imprisoned for masterminding the 2001 assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi.

A Hamas source told Channel 12 that the Islamist group “won’t give up” on securing the release of these and other terrorists imprisoned for life, “even at the cost of dooming the deal.”

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, called the terrorist group’s demand to release Barghouti “a lethal trap,” warning that freeing him would unleash chaos worldwide.

“They see him as a Trojan horse: release him, and he’ll surpass Arafat, uniting the PLO behind a charismatic ‘moderate’ who rebuilds their war machine,” Yousef wrote in a post on X, referring to Yasser Arafat, longtime leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

“Barghouti’s hands are blood-soaked — murdering priests, orchestrating supermarket massacres, and funding and mentoring the deadliest Palestinian bomb-makers during the Second Intifada, all while flashing a VIP smile,” he continued.

“Free him now? He’ll morph into a sharper, deadlier Arafat, twisting pity into endless hate,” Yousef said.

Hamas’s demand to free Marwan Barghouti in Cairo talks—despite his Fatah rivalry—is a lethal trap. They see him as a Trojan horse: release him, and he’ll surpass Arafat, uniting the PLO behind a charismatic “moderate” who rebuilds their war machine.

Barghouti’s hands are… pic.twitter.com/TwGEo8hKHd

— Mosab Hassan Yousef (@MosabHasanYOSEF) October 5, 2025

On Monday, Israeli and Hamas delegations began indirect talks in Egypt on Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, which outlines the release of all remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours, the demilitarization of Gaza including the terrorist group’s disarmament, and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the war-torn enclave.

Although both Israel and Hamas have endorsed the overall framework of Trump’s plan, the terrorist group is chiefly concerned with the scale and timing of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrawal, while Jerusalem is focused on securing the hostages’ return and the enclave’s demilitarization.

Hamas warned that the release of the hostages would depend on “field conditions,” cautioning that returning the buried, slain hostages within 72 hours could be difficult due to the IDF’s presence.

Meanwhile, Hamas is also reportedly seeking guarantees of a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza, insisting that the initial pullback be larger than what was originally proposed under Trump’s plan.

In addition to seeking the release of life-term terrorists, Hamas is reportedly demanding that Israel free members of its elite Nukhba force, who carried out the invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

While there is precedent for releasing convicted terrorists, those involved in the Oct. 7 atrocities have not yet been tried for their crimes.

Israel’s Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, who previously led Shin Bet — the country’s internal security agency — told Channel 12 that while Israel could consider releasing convicted terrorists, it remains deeply reluctant to free those involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.

While Hamas engages in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel, the terrorist group is simultaneously negotiating with the Palestinian Authority, aiming to secure the PA’s role in post-war Gaza.

Under Trump’s plan, the PA would take control of Gaza only after it “has completed its reform program” — which PA President Mahmoud Abbas has promised would include drafting a temporary constitution within three months and holding elections within a year.

Until then, the plan calls for the war-torn enclave to be overseen by an international transitional Board of Peace — comprising leaders from Arab countries, Israel, and the US — while a separate international body would handle disarming Hamas and overseeing Gaza’s demilitarization.

Western powers have been negotiating with the PA on conditions for Gaza governance after Hamas is removed from power, while the PA continues to pledge reforms — a strategy experts say is unlikely to succeed given its lack of credibility and ongoing support for terrorism against Israel.

Jewish leaders have argued that these Western governments appear to be accepting the PA’s promises of reform at face value, rather than waiting to see if its behavior truly changes.

The PA, which has long been riddled with accusations of corruption, has maintained for years a so-called “pay-for-slay” program, which rewards terrorists and their families for carrying out attacks against Israelis.

According to a new report from the Israeli Defense Ministry, 1,152 security personnel have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza, including soldiers, police officers, Shin Bet agents, and civilian security officers.

Amid the conflict, Israel rolled out an $18 million reform of family care and support services, offered targeted assistance through special committees, and created a network of financial volunteers to support bereaved families.