Live – War in the Middle East: Israel says it was not informed of the conditions in which the Hamas hostages are found

Hamas says it is ready to release hostages in the “first phase” of an agreement

Hamas said on Sunday that it was ready to release 34 Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza during the “first phase” of an agreement with Israel, which for its part stressed that it had still not received a list from the terrorist organization.

A Hamas official told AFP that the Islamist group had “agreed to release 34 Israeli prisoners from a list provided by Israel in the first phase of a prisoner exchange deal.”

This list, he specified, includes “all women, the sick, children and the elderly” among the Israeli hostages.

“Hamas and the resistance groups need about a week of calm to communicate with the kidnappers and identify the (hostages) dead or alive,” added the official, who requested anonymity.

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