Two children, 10 women, 11 elderly people and another 11 men under the age of 50 are said to appear on a list with the names of the 34 hostages that Hamas has reportedly given to Israel.
However, the condition of the individuals — whether they are alive or dead — has not been made clear.
“As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list,” said the office of Prime Minister .
The names are those of people the group said it would release in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement, leaked to some media.
“That is the list given by Hamas,” sources close to the negotiations confirmed to EFE, although it is not clear if all of them are alive.
“The fear is that Hamas will use the possible agreement to hand over mainly the bodies of dead hostages. Israel wants to avoid that and prioritize living captives in the first phase,” the same sources indicated to EFE.
Hamas has not officially confirmed the veracity of the list, and the Netanyahu government initially denied having received any list.
However, the Islamist group is believed to have leaked the complete document to the Reuters news agency. Israel has said the list is the same as one that it originally gave to mediators last year.
The war began in Gaza when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They also abducted about 250.
Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, with at least a third of them believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to officials from the territory’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. The officials say women and children make up over half the fatalities.
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