Hamas names 34 hostages It could free in exchange for ceasefire deal
Hamas has shared a list of 34 hostages it might release in the first stage of a potential ceasefire with Israel. The list includes 10 women, 11 elderly men, and children who Hamas had previously claimed were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Several sick hostages are also named. Hamas has not clarified how many hostages are still alive.
Reports from Gaza indicate that Israeli airstrikes killed over 100 people over the weekend. However, the Israeli prime minister’s office has denied receiving a list of hostages from Hamas.
Ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, resumed over the weekend but showed little progress. A Hamas official said any agreement to release Israeli hostages would depend on Israel’s agreement to withdraw from Gaza and end the war. The official also criticized Israel for failing to make progress in ceasefire negotiations.
Earlier, Hamas released a video of 19-year-old Israeli captive Liri Albag, urging her government to negotiate. Albag was captured along with six other female soldiers during the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas has resulted in significant casualties. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 45,805 people have died in Gaza as of Saturday. Israeli airstrikes over the weekend killed dozens of Hamas militants. The Israeli military said it had attacked over 100 “terrorist” sites in Gaza.
