Hamas indicated willingness to release 34 hostages as part of a potential peace agreement with Israel, following the resumption of indirect talks in Qatar. The offer, however, faces hurdles as Israel awaits a detailed list of hostages from Hamas. The announcement came amidst continued Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas official said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group was ready to free 34 hostages in the 'first phase' of a potential deal with Israel , after the Jewish state said indirect talks on a truce and hostage release agreement had resumed in Qatar. Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have tried for months to strike a deal to end the war. The latest effort comes just days before Donald Trump retakes office as US president on Jan. 20.
The talks took place as Israel pounded the Gaza Strip anew on Sunday, which, rescuers said, killed at least 23 people. During that time there has been only one truce — a one-week pause in November 2023 — that saw 80 Israeli hostages freed along with 240 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Now, 'Hamas has agreed to release 34 Israeli prisoners from a list presented by Israel as part of the first phase of a prisoner exchange deal,' said an official of the militants. But the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had yet to provide a list of hostages for potential release under an agreement. The Hamas official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the ongoing negotiations with the media, said the initial swap would include all the women, children, elderly people and sick captives still held in Gaza. But Hamas needed time to determine their condition, he added.'Hamas has agreed to release the 34 prisoners, whether alive or dead,' the official said. 'However, the group needs a week of calm to communicate with the captors and identify those who are alive and those who are dead.' During their attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which began the Gaza war, Hamas fighters seized 251 hostages, of whom 96 remain in Gaza. The Israeli military says 34 of those are dead. Until the Hamas official's comment, there had been no update on the talks, which both warring sides were to resume in Qatar over the weekend
HOSTAGES HAMAS ISRAEL PEACE TALKS GAZA STRIP
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