There will be no end to the war in Gaza until Hamas returns all hostages and disarms: ambassador

There will be no end to the war in Gaza if Hamas does not hand over the 48 living and deceased hostages and completely disarm in accordance with the terms of the agreement finalized overnight between Hamas and Israel, Jerusalem’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, warned Thursday in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The Israeli government is expected to approve the peace deal first presented by President Donald Trump late last month and then accepted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu.

But concerns remain about Hamas’ commitment and ability to return all bodies of the deceased hostages within 72 hours of Friday evening local time, as required by the terms of the agreement.

Palestinians, including children, gathered in the town of Khan Yunis celebrate after the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire agreement on October 9, 2025 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. (Abdallah Fs Alattar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

TRUMP PEACE DEAL TRIGGERS 72-HOUR COUNTDOWN FOR HAMAS TO FREE 48 HOSTAGES FROM GAZA

“They have an obligation to repatriate everyone within 72 hours. Hopefully we can keep everything within that framework,” Leiter said when asked about concerns about Hamas’ ability to immediately hand over all deceased hostages. “There are certain problems that we have to face, and this problem is one of them.

“But we have to see all the bodies again, and I don’t think we can move forward until we have everyone,” he added.

Leiter said part of the problem was that Hamas had not diligently tracked where it left the bodies of the deceased, but he warned that until all the bodies were returned, Israel would not withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip.

An international task force involving the United States, Qatar and Egypt has been formed to help Israel recover the bodies of the deceased, but the White House did not respond to questions from Fox News Digital about what role the United States will play or whether there will be American troops on the ground to assist in the search.

A deal was reached overnight after mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar worked for days with Hamas and Israeli officials to iron out the details of the peace deal, although it remains unclear whether any changes were made to Trump’s original 20-point plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, speak to the media following a meeting with Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, not pictured, at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, United States, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Father of youngest US hostage maintains glimmer of hope after Trump secures Gaza peace deal

Reports published over the weekend suggest that Hamas has opposed calls for complete disarmament – ​​although in exchange it would also receive an amnesty and a path out of Gaza to an accepting third country if it chose to leave – and Leiter was unable to shed light on whether Hamas has formally conceded to the terms of disarmament.

“We hope this will go according to the president’s plan,” Leiter said. “We assume, having long experience with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and these terrorist organizations, that there will be problems along the way.

“Look, they’re falling. This is basically a capitulation on the part of Hamas. They don’t like it at all, and they’re going to do everything they can to try to show that they’re still relevant,” the ambassador warned.

People gather in Hostages Square during a rally as a participant displays a sign listing the names of hostages following the peace deal between Israel and Hamas. (Dana Reany/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Disarmament is not part of the first phase, which involves the full return of all hostages, the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops to a designated line as agreed by Israel and Hamas, and the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, 250 of whom are serving life sentences for terrorist offenses, including murder.

The second phase would involve a subsequent withdrawal of Israeli forces in coordination with the complete disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the enclave. An international “peace agency” led by Trump would also be created to begin the process of rebuilding the Gaza Strip.

“We are now focused on the first phase,” Leiter said, while acknowledging that Hamas has made comments suggesting it would not disarm and that the second phase of a peace deal could fail again.

A plume of smoke rises following the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, seen from the northwest of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, October 9, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“But it’s part of the plan – it’s very clearly part of the president’s plan. It was the goal that Prime Minister Netanyahu set from the start, that Hamas would be disarmed, that Gaza would be deradicalized and demilitarized.

“We cannot go back to a situation where we have jihadi militants sitting on our border, otherwise we have accomplished nothing,” the ambassador said. “It’s performance-based. They disarm, they are disarmed if necessary, and then Israel withdraws.”