A Hamas official announced to AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian movement was committed to freeing 34 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, as part of the first stage of an agreement with Israel.
“Hamas agreed to release 34 Israeli prisoners on a list provided by Israel during the initial phase of a detainee exchange,” the official said. He specified that this list included “all women, children, the elderly and the sick among the Israeli hostages”.
He added that “Hamas and resistance groups require about a week of calm to establish contact with the kidnappers and determine which of the hostages are alive or dead.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied the statement, saying in a statement that “contrary to reports, Hamas has not yet provided a list of hostages.”
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed this weekend in Qatar to discuss a ceasefire and the release of hostages held captive in Gaza since the attack carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Despite intensive diplomatic efforts under the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, no truce has been concluded since that of a week at the end of November 2023, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The editorial team/Le7tv
