On February 19, 2025, the Palestinian Hamas movement announced its readiness to release all remaining Israeli hostages at once in the second phase of the agreement, subject to agreements on a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said: "We are ready for the second phase, in which the prisoners will be exchanged in one go, subject to an agreement that will lead to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip."

Earlier, on February 18, after talks in Cairo, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the bodies of four dead hostages would be handed over to Israel next Thursday, and that six live hostages were expected to be released on February 22. Since January 19, a ceasefire has been in effect in the Gaza Strip, as part of an agreement between Israel and Hamas to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The first phase of the truce, scheduled for 42 days, provides for the release of 33 Israeli hostages and about a thousand Palestinian prisoners.

Several exchanges have already taken place as part of the first phase. The most recent one took place on February 15, when Hamas released a group of Israeli hostages, including Russian citizen Alexander Trufanov. According to Israeli authorities, 73 people remain in Hamas captivity.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that Israel would not allow Hamas to maintain power in the Gaza Strip, stressing that any agreement must take into account Israel's security and rule out further attacks by Palestinian militants.