Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, unofficial intermediary between Hamas and the US administration under Trump, said there are positive signs for a permanent solution to the Gaza war.

He added during an interview on the program “Outside the Box,” aired on Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday evening: “There are more positive signs for a permanent solution than there were a week, two weeks, or 20 days ago.”

He expressed hope that US President Donald Trump would be firm on the matter and end it decisively.

He mentioned that he would set a schedule for the release of hostages, prisoner exchanges, declaring a ceasefire, and beginning withdrawal if he were the decision-maker.

When asked about Washington’s reaction after he conveyed to US envoy Steve Witkoff Hamas’s acceptance of the latest proposal, he replied: “The response was: This is a positive thing, let’s finish the process.”

Shortly before, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Hamas’s announcement of readiness to make a deal to release all detainees in exchange for stopping the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

According to a statement from his office on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said Hamas’s announcement was “just another manipulation,” describing it as “another attempt with nothing new.”

He claimed the Gaza war could end immediately under the conditions set by the small security and political cabinet “the Knesset.”

He explained that the conditions include: releasing all hostages, disarming Hamas, disarming the Gaza Strip, Israeli security control over it, and forming an alternative civilian government that does not threaten Israel.

Hamas said it is still awaiting Israel’s response to the proposal presented by mediators to the movement on August 18, which Hamas and the Palestinian resistance accepted.

In a statement on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday evening, Hamas reiterated its readiness to go for a comprehensive deal whereby all enemy prisoners held by the resistance would be released in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, within an agreement ending the war on Gaza, full withdrawal of occupation forces from the entire Strip, opening crossings to bring in all sector needs, and starting reconstruction.

The movement also reaffirmed its approval to form an independent national technocratic administration to manage all affairs of the Gaza Strip and take responsibility immediately in all fields.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump called on Hamas to release all Israeli detainees.

He wrote on his official page on the Truth Social platform on Wednesday evening: “Hamas must immediately return all twenty hostages, not 2 or 5 or 7, and things will change quickly and end.”