Live, Middle East – Hamas says it is ready to release 34 hostages in the first phase of an agreement with Israel

Hamas says ready to release 34 hostages in ‘first phase’ of deal with Israel

A Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian Islamist movement was ready to free 34 Israeli hostages, held captive in the Gaza Strip, during the “first phase” of an agreement with Israel.

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.

“Hamas and the resistance groups need about a week of calm to communicate with the captors and identify the (hostages) dead or alive,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that “contrary to what has been reported, Hamas has still not provided a list of hostages.”