By Isabel Kershner and Abu Bakr Bashir
As negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release between Israeli and Hamas officials progressed indirectly on Monday, representatives from Hamas suggested that the group had consented to an Israeli list of 34 hostages to be freed in the initial phase of a potential agreement, reflecting a sense of progress.
However, the Israeli government quickly tempered any expectations that Hamas’ approval of the list marked a major advancement towards concluding the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Here’s what we have gathered about the hostages list and the status of the discussions, following numerous unsuccessful attempts and failed negotiations.
Hamas’s stance
A Hamas official involved in the discussions informed The New York Times on Monday that if an agreement is finalized, Hamas is prepared to release the 34 hostages listed by Israel through intermediaries. This representative requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the negotiations.
The United States has been advocating for an agreement and is working to facilitate it with assistance from Qatar and Egypt, the two main countries mediating between Israel and Hamas.
The Reuters news agency reported on Sunday night that Hamas had accepted the list proposed by Israel. The report referenced an unnamed Hamas official who stated that any agreement on hostages hinges on Israel’s commitment to a timeline for withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire, aligning with longstanding demands from Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined to publicly indicate any readiness to conclude the war, insisting on the need to dismantle Hamas as a military entity and political authority in Gaza.
Approximately 100 hostages are still held in Gaza from around 250 individuals taken during the Hamas-led assaults in October 2023 that triggered the conflict. According to Israel, at least a third of these captives are believed to be deceased.
A week-long truce in November 2023 facilitated the release of 105 hostages in exchange for about 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israel. Only a limited number of hostages have been rescued alive by Israeli forces, while the remains of many others have been retrieved. Israeli soldiers inadvertently killed three hostages whom they mistakenly identified as militants.
Israel’s perspective
Israel forwarded the initial list of hostages for release in the first stage of any agreement to the mediators in July 2024, as stated in a release from Netanyahu’s office on Monday.
However, the list has since been revised as three individuals initially included—Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli dual citizen, along with two Israeli women, Carmel Gat and Eden Yerushalmi—were killed by their captors in late August. The updated list was published by the BBC on Monday, and Netanyahu’s office appeared to validate its accuracy.
In this new phase of discussions, Israel has required information from Hamas regarding which hostages are still alive. Without that clarification, Israeli officials argue, there can be no consensus on the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel would be prepared to release in exchange.
“To date, Israel has yet to receive any confirmation or feedback from Hamas concerning the status of the hostages listed,” stated Netanyahu’s office in their announcement.
The list consists of 10 women, five of whom are soldiers; 11 older male hostages aged between 50 and 85; two young children whom Hamas previously claimed were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israeli authorities have not confirmed these deaths; and additional male hostages whose release Israel deems urgent.
