Hamas doesn’t understand how most of the roughly 120 hostages Israel says stay in Gaza are nonetheless alive, a spokesman for the militant group said in an interview that aired Thursday.
The return of the hostages taken within the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assaults is a central a part of the most recent cease-fire proposal that would convey the conflict in Gaza to an finish. U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been working to bridge the hole between Israel and Hamas on the plan. Israel has said that at the least a 3rd of the remaining hostages have died.
Requested by a CNN reporter in Beirut how most of the hostages held by Hamas and different teams had been nonetheless dwelling, the spokesman, Osama Hamdan, stated neither he nor anybody else within the management of the militant group knew.
“I don’t have any concept about that; nobody has any concept about this,” he stated. It was not clear when the interview was carried out.
The destiny of the hostages has grow to be a political concern in Israel, the place Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confronted rising criticism about how he has dealt with the conflict in Gaza, which he has vowed to proceed till Hamas is destroyed. Mr. Netanyahu can also be going through worldwide calls from allies to guard Palestinian civilians, present extra assist and rescue the remaining hostages.
Final Saturday, Israel rescued 4 hostages after eight months of captivity in a mission in central Gaza that left scores of Palestinians useless. In November, throughout the one cease-fire of the conflict, 105 hostages had been launched by Palestinian teams.
In response to the phrases of the most recent cease-fire proposal, hostages can be launched in three phases, with girls and older individuals being let loose first. Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza and Israel would free tons of of Palestinian detainees.
Throughout the second section, all remaining Israeli hostages who’re alive can be freed. Within the last section, the stays of the hostages who’ve died can be exchanged.
The shortage of readability concerning the destiny of the hostages might complicate the already difficult negotiations.
Requested why Hamas had but to simply accept the proposal, which is backed by the USA and the United Nations, Mr. Hamdan stated it was a “constructive step” however that they would wish “to see the info on the bottom” on what Israel was committing to. He stated Israel would wish to make it clear that it could withdraw utterly from the Gaza Strip and permit Palestinians to find out their very own future.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Wednesday that among the adjustments steered by Hamas in a counterproposal offered on Tuesday had been unacceptable, suggesting the edges had been nonetheless far aside.
Jake Sullivan, the U.S. nationwide safety adviser, stated Thursday that the Biden administration was working with different mediators to “bridge the remaining gaps” to achieve an settlement for a truce.
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