A senior Hamas official announced on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group is prepared to release 34 Israeli hostages as part of the first phase of a potential prisoner exchange deal, as reported by AFP.
According to the official, the 34 hostages include women, children, elderly people, and those who are sick and still being held in Gaza.
However, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Hamas has yet to provide a list of the hostages to be released.
The Hamas official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained that the group needs time to confirm whether the hostages are alive or dead.
Out of 251 individuals taken during the October 7, 2023 attack, 96 are still held in Gaza, including 34 that the Israeli military believes are deceased.
Hamas has reportedly agreed to release the 34 hostages, whether they are alive or dead, but requires up to a week of calm to contact the captors and determine their status.
The ongoing negotiations, conducted indirectly, are still in progress as both sides seek to finalize the details of the deal.
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