Hamas reportedly agrees to release 34 Israeli hostages in ‘first phase’ of exchange deal
Demonstrators raise placards during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israelis held hostage since the October 2023 attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 17, 2024. (AFP Photo)
A senior Hamas official announced Sunday that the Palestinian resistance group is prepared to release 34 hostages as part of the initial phase of a potential prisoner exchange deal. The official, speaking to news agency AFP, said the list of prisoners was provided by Israel and accepted by Hamas.
“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,” the official stated.
Despite this claim, the Israeli prime minister’s office clarified that Hamas has yet to provide any official list of hostages, leaving the situation uncertain as negotiations continue.
Hamas official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of ongoing indirect negotiations, said the initial swap would include all women, children, elderly people, and sick captives still held in Gaza. He also mentioned that Hamas needed time to confirm whether the hostages were alive.
Of the 251 hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, attack, 96 remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military believes are dead.
Israeli attacks persist, death toll rises
Meanwhile, tensions remain high across the occupied Palestinian territories as Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of over 45,800 people, predominantly women and children, since October 7, 2023.
International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection to the Gaza conflict.
Israel also faces a separate genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its military actions in Gaza, further intensifying the international legal and diplomatic challenges stemming from the conflict.
