Hamas is refusing to deliver a list of 40 Israeli hostages during ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, stoking fears that a significant portion of the 153 hostages remaining in Gaza might have died in captivity, reports Channel 12 News.
According to the report, Israel has demanded during mediated negotiations in Cairo that Hamas provide a living list of designated “humanitarian” hostages, including women, children, and the sick, as it had done as part of the November weeklong ceasefire, which saw 105 hostages return home. Israel, in turn, would release some 700 Palestinian Arab prisoners, including more than 100 serving life sentences for murder. However, Hamas allegedly informed international mediators that they lack the capability to release the 40 hostages categorized as humanitarian.
Hamas has also not budged from its outlandish primary demands, which are said to include a full withdrawal of Israeli troops out of Gaza, allowing Arabs to return freely to the northern part of the enclave, and an end to the IDF blockade of the enclave.
Reports also suggest negotiators are discussing the option of a three-day truce with no preconditions over the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan later this week.
