Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his meetings with U.S. officials in Washington said the war with Hamas could end if its leaders go into exile, according to three sources who spoke with Axios.
"Bibi and Israeli leadership have articulated a plan that includes allowing senior Hamas leadership to go into exile in a third-party country," a U.S. source familiar with the issue told the news outlet.
Netanyahu spokesman Omer Dostri, though, denied the report, saying on X, "It never happened. The Prime Minister did not present any plan for the second stage."
Three Israeli hostages are expected to be released Saturday in the fifth round of releases since the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal began. Seventy-nine hostages remain in Hamas captivity.
President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that displaced Palestinians be permanently resettled outside Gaza and proposed the U.S. take "ownership" in redeveloping the area. His remarks drew swift opposition from Hamas.
"Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished," Hamas said in a statement. "We reject Trump's statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave, and we consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region."