Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu told the parents of hostage Eitan Mor that the Israeli government is advancing a deal that could lead to the release of ten hostages currently held by terror groups in Gaza, according to a statement from the Tikva Forum on Monday.
Eitan Mor, 23, was taken captive while working as a security guard at the Nova music festival on October 7. His father, Tzvika Mor, co-founded the Tikva Forum, a right-leaning advocacy group that offers an alternative to the mainstream Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Netanyahu phoned Eitan’s parents, Tzvika and Efrat Mor, on Sunday night to share an update on the negotiations. During the call, the Mors reiterated their group’s position: “Tzvika and Efrat Mor emphasized to the prime minister the position of the Tikva Forum that all the hostages need to be released in one phase on the same bus, without selektzia between them,” the Forum said, using the Holocaust-era term “selektzia” that refers to the Nazi practice of selecting Jews for forced labor or execution.
Negotiations have reportedly stalled over differences in the number of hostages to be released in exchange for a ceasefire. Israel has demanded the release of 11, while Hamas had previously offered five. The Tikva Forum indicated that Israel has now shifted its demand to 10 hostages.
A Hamas source, cited by Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen network, said the group is reviewing a new Israeli offer involving a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for 10 hostages. Over the weekend, reports emerged that Israel expressed a willingness to scale down its initial demand. According to Ynet, Israel is awaiting a response to a proposal involving the release of nine or ten hostages, possibly including US-Israeli dual citizen Edan Alexander, who appeared in a Hamas propaganda video on Saturday.
In response to the news, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement urging Netanyahu to secure a deal for the release of all captives. “While the families wait hopefully and would welcome the release of any hostage from Hamas captivity, we continue to call for a comprehensive deal that will return ALL hostages immediately,” they said.
The group warned that “every additional day in captivity endangers the lives of those still being held by Hamas terrorists, who are subjecting them to horrific conditions including starvation, physical abuse, and confinement in darkness.” The Forum demanded a swift and complete solution: “We urge the obvious, possible, and appropriate solution: End the war and return all the hostages, the living and the dead, immediately.”
An Egyptian official told Reuters that Hamas has requested additional time to respond to the current proposal. Sources said the delegation, led by Gaza-based Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya, rejected an initiative to revive the previous ceasefire, insisting that any agreement must include a full end to the war.
Though Hamas reportedly showed some openness regarding the number of hostages it could release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, it requested guarantees that talks on the ceasefire’s second phase — which would include halting the war — would proceed.
“Hamas has no problem, but it wants guarantees Israel agrees to begin the talks on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement,” the Egyptian source explained.
Taher al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, reiterated the group’s demands in an interview with AFP. “We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid,” he said.
Nunu further blamed Israel for delaying progress. “The issue is not the number of captives,” he said, “but rather that the occupation is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the war.” He added, “Hamas has therefore stressed the need for guarantees to compel the occupation [Israel] to uphold the agreement.”
Netanyahu has maintained that he will not agree to a permanent ceasefire or a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas’s military and governance structures are dismantled.
The current war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. Of the remaining hostages, 59 are believed to still be in captivity, with only 24 confirmed to be alive.
Saudi network Al-Arabiya reported Sunday night that Hamas may now be willing to release a greater number of hostages under a new proposal. The report also stated that the U.S. has told Hamas it would pressure Israel into agreeing to broader talks aimed at ending the war.
Israeli media outlets, including Ynet and The Times of Israel, reported that the Israeli side has softened its demands since Netanyahu’s recent meeting with Donald Trump in Washington. According to two officials familiar with the negotiations, Israel is no longer insisting on the release of 11 living hostages.
Al-Arabiya further claimed the new proposal is nearing finalization, with Hamas giving initial approval to release more hostages. The proposed deal would include a two-stage release process, entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and medical documentation on the condition of the remaining captives. Talks about whether Hamas leaders can remain in Gaza have reportedly been postponed.
Amid these developments, families of the hostages remain deeply worried that continued military operations in Gaza could endanger their loved ones.
Ruhama Bohbot, mother of hostage Elkana Bohbot, said Monday that Netanyahu had assured her Israel knows the precise locations where hostages are being held. Speaking to Army Radio, she said the prime minister told her that Israeli forces are deliberately avoiding those areas to prevent harming the captives.
In a separate plea, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, addressed Netanyahu directly in a video released Monday. “My son Matan has been held in a tunnel together with the soldier who holds American citizenship, Edan Alexander, who is expected to be released first in any deal,” she said.
“According to medical information in my possession, Matan was kidnapped while likely suffering from a form of muscular dystrophy that affects most of our family members. Due to the harsh conditions of captivity and the stress he is under, we know his condition has deteriorated,” she continued.
Zangauker described her son’s physical suffering in detail: “He is shackled in heavy chains, unable even to stand up in the tunnel that is lower than his height. He is going through a holocaust. There is serious concern for Matan’s well-being if he remains alone in the tunnel. The isolation will lead to further deterioration and will be a death sentence for Matan.”
She concluded with an emotional demand: “If there is a deal in which Edan is released, then Matan — who is held with him — must also be released. Matan will not survive alone, and he must be brought out. He is the most humanitarian case among the hostages. If Matan is abandoned to die alone in the tunnel, all of Israel will know that the prime minister deliberately chose to hand down a death sentence on a citizen who was kidnapped from his home in his pajamas — purely out of personal vengeance against his family.”
