OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:46 PM – Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Israel is actively drafting a hostage release proposal, and officials indicate that a hostage and ceasefire agreement could be finalized as soon as Friday, October 10th.
The news of a potential end to the war follows the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, which kicked off the full-scale war.
According to Israeli news sources, mediators in Egypt and officials in Jerusalem are signaling optimism, indicating that the negotiations may be entering their final hours.
Additionally, a senior Hamas official informed CNN that the Gaza deal is “very close,” although the details pertaining to prisoner exchanges are still being negotiated.
“We are very close to an agreement, what’s still pending is the list of prisoners [to be] exchanged,” the Hamas official told the outlet.
One of the biggest hang-ups of the negotiations is Hamas’ insistence on the release of former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, an Islamist Palestinian leader currently serving a life sentence for planning terror attacks during the Second Intifada, which killed five civilians, according to The Times of Israel.
However, Barghouti has denied the charges against him and he rejects Israel’s jurisdiction over the matter. Should he be released, the 66-year-old could potentially serve as the successor to 89-year-old Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Barghouti maintains support for a two-state solution, according to The Times of Israel.
Despite the request, Israel reportedly remains firm in opposing Barghouti’s release, according to i24 News. The outlet also revealed that the negotiations include withdrawal maps.
“We are sticking to President Trump’s outline and therefore are faithful to the maps that were presented in Washington last week, however, Hamas is not satisfied with what was presented and is demanding a more significant withdrawal. Despite all this, as mentioned, there is still optimism in Israel that agreements can be reached in the near future,” Israeli officials stated, according to the outlet.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump acknowledged that the two sides are “very close” to a deal, noting that he could travel to the region over the weekend if need be.
“We have a team of great negotiators, and they are unfortunately great negotiators on the other side also,” Trump stated at the White House.
The U.S. Commander-in-Chief maintained that all surrounding Arab and Muslim countries support the peace proposal for Gaza. He also emphasized the urgency of moving forward with the plan to prevent further bloodshed.
“Our final negotiation is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well,” Trump added. “If that’s the case, we’ll be leaving, probably on Sunday — maybe Saturday.”
Three Israeli officials notified CNN that Hamas may not be able to find all the slain hostages in Gaza, but that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has known this for months.
The officials cited estimates, based on Israeli intelligence and information from ongoing negotiations, suggesting that between seven to 15 hostages presumed dead might not be recoverable.
“It’s been the case from the outset that they, [Hamas], have not had control over all of the hostages,” Barbara Leaf, former President Joe Biden’s Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East, told CNN.
“It’s far more likely they can recover all of the living hostages,” she added.
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