Israel has proposed allowing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages held by the militant group and the surrender of control over the Gaza Strip. This offer comes amid growing doubts about the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

Gal Hirsch, Israel's special envoy for hostages, disclosed the offer during an interview at Bloomberg’s Washington bureau.

“I’m ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, and whoever wants to join him,” Hirsch said. “We want the hostages back. We want demilitarization, de-radicalization of course — a new system that will manage Gaza.”

The offer, presented a day and a half before the interview, aims to find new avenues as hopes for a ceasefire fade. Hirsch declined to comment on the response from Hamas but reiterated that Israel would be willing to release prisoners it holds as part of any potential deal. 

Efforts by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to broker a new ceasefire proposal have so far faced challenges, as Hamas is reportedly setting preconditions rather than negotiating. It remains uncertain whether Hamas would agree to Sinwar's departure, especially given Israel's past history of targeting operatives abroad.

Sinwar, a key figure behind the October 7 attacks that reignited the conflict, is seen by many Israelis as both the architect of the violence and a symbol of Palestinian armed resistance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously likened Sinwar to Hitler, a comparison echoed by Hirsch during the interview.

While pursuing diplomatic solutions, Hirsch also emphasized that he is working on contingency plans to bring the hostages home.

“The clock is ticking, the hostages do not have time,” he said, vowing a “Munich-type response” to target those responsible for the deaths of six Israeli hostages in late August, referencing Israel's longstanding campaign of retaliation after the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.

The notion of exile for Hamas leaders is not new. In May, Netanyahu mentioned exile as a possible strategy during an interview, saying, “If they lay down their arms, the war is over.”

In parallel to these developments, Israeli officials released footage showing the conditions in which the six hostages were held. According to Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, the hostages were confined in a cramped tunnel, around 100 yards long and barely five feet high. He described the space as "very humid and hard to breathe in." Evidence such as a makeshift toilet, bottles of urine, mattresses, energy bars, and tuna indicated that the hostages had been held there for some time before being shot.