A Hamas official announced on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group is prepared to release 34 hostages as part of the “first phase” of a potential prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
The statement follows Israel’s confirmation that indirect negotiations on a truce and hostage release agreement have resumed in Qatar.
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have intensified efforts to broker a resolution to the conflict, which has persisted for nearly 15 months.
The talks come just days before Donald Trump is set to assume office as U.S. President on January 20, 2025.
The proposed release reportedly includes women, children, the elderly, and the sick.
However, the Hamas official, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions, cautioned that some hostages might already be deceased.
The group requested a week of calm to verify the conditions of the captives.
“Hamas has agreed to release the 34 prisoners, whether alive or dead. However, the group needs time to communicate with the captors and identify those who are alive and those who are dead,” the official stated.
Despite this declaration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office maintained that Hamas has yet to provide a definitive list of hostages.
The renewed negotiations coincided with continued Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing at least 23 people, according to local rescuers.
The strikes targeted sites linked to rocket fire into Israel, with the Israeli military reporting that it had hit over 100 “terror targets” in Gaza over the past two days.
Rescue operations in northern Gaza revealed devastating scenes.
The Civil Defence agency reported that an airstrike in the Sheikh Radwan area killed at least 11 people, including women and children.
Rescuers used their bare hands to sift through rubble in search of survivors.
The health ministry in Gaza reported 88 deaths in the previous 24 hours, adding to the staggering toll of the conflict.
Since it began on October 7, 2023, the war has claimed 45,805 lives in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to UN-verified health ministry data.
The ongoing talks follow a brief one-week truce in November 2023, during which 80 Israeli hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
Since then, both sides have accused each other of imposing new conditions, complicating efforts for a lasting ceasefire.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz assured hostage families over the weekend that efforts to secure their release remain a top priority.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized international pressure to reach an agreement, stating, “Unfortunately, it does not depend solely on us.”
The escalating conflict has prompted widespread international concern, with hopes pinned on the renewed negotiations in Qatar to deliver tangible results and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.