Hamas “agreed to release 34 Israeli prisoners from a list provided by Israel in the first phase of a prisoner exchange agreement,” the official said, specifying that the list included “all women, sick, children and elderly Israelis” among the hostages. “Hamas and resistance groups need about a week of calm to communicate with the captors and identify the (hostages) dead or alive,” he added.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “contrary to what has been reported, Hamas has still not provided a list of hostages.” However, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Saturday the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the attack by the Palestinian movement in Israel on October 7, 2023.
For its part, Hamas also announced on Friday that negotiations were resuming in Doha with a view to obtaining a truce in the Gaza Strip, specifying that they would include a “complete cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
No truce concluded
Despite intense diplomatic efforts led under the aegis of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, no truce has been concluded since that of a week at the end of November 2023. This truce allowed the liberation of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Belgium
