Hamas has indicated it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known.
The framework that has been laid out by negotiators says that during a first six-week pause in the fighting, Hamas should release 40 of the remaining hostages, including all the women as well as sick and elderly men. In exchange, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons.
Hamas has told international mediators – which include Qatar and Egypt - it does not have 40 living hostages who match those criteria for release, both sources said.
CNN’s record of the conditions of the hostages also suggests there are fewer than 40 living hostages who meet the proposed criteria.
Hamas just hasn't been taking civilian noncombatants as hostages like Israel has been doing.
Most hostages are combatants, and that doesn't meet the details for this requirement
The majority of the almost 100 hostages who remain alive are believed to be male IDF soldiers or men of military reserve age.
With Hamas appearing to be unable to reach 40 in the proposed categories, Israel has pushed for Hamas to fill out the initial release with younger male hostages, including soldiers, the Israeli official said.
The Palestinian militants who raided Israel in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 killed over 1,200 people, according to Israel, and abducted over 240 civilians and soldiers, bringing them back to the Gaza Strip.
Oh come on. What kind of "return elderly people, pregnant women and other feeble hostages" is unreasonable demand? What would be reasonable demand? Keep them forever. Abuse them?
What are the demands of each side? Can we lay them out and compare? Or do we know already that Hamas demands are reasonable? Do we always have to take sides? I personally want what's best for the Palestinian people so I want a ceasefire and return to negotiations. But this partisan flailing isn't helping the cause. Unless of course we're ok sacrificing more Palestinians? I don't get it.
We can. Hamas has been very clear. End the blockade. Remove troops from West Bank. Recognize a Palestinian state. Allow Palestinian refugees to return. Release Palestinians being held without charge. (hostages but with a nicer veneer)
Okay how about 25? 24 and 3 fingers?...wrong cartel! Sinaloa guys, we'll get back to you later... At! I meant at you later. Sorry I'm new at this negotiation shit. Let's start over.
Okay, my name is...is....hmmm.... Pedro. What's your name? And you said Carlos does have the two testicles? Okay okay. Look let's not do someth....he has only one testicle not? Not his testicle. Oh man, poor kid, listen guy, I was just pooping and I picked up the phone without checking, I think you got the wrong number. Yeah I'm real sorry. I hope you find Carlo's friends, I really do.
Don't pepe pecas pica papas me! I can say that with my ass backwards any day. And if your up for it I can anti tarabitatongulate any plank that your best tarabitatongular has entarabintantigulated. This is something that only a brown person from my colloquial origins would understand. So if you would please allow me to make fun of my own people in a language other than my original one, I would admire you deeply.
The look of a poker player that ran out of chips....
They've found bodies of hostages all the time. One just yesterday. I suppose you could do some math to estimate probability of who is living. Only Hamas would know,except they claim not to.
They are probably still there, check hospitals, community centres, school, emergency camps... you will probably find their corpses under all the rubble from Israeli fired American and British missiles.
The criteria are for women and the elderly to be released. The majority of the remaining hostages are men of military age (as Israel has mandatory conscription, they are military personnel by definition).
The framework that has been laid out by negotiators says that during a first six-week pause in the fighting, Hamas should release 40 of the remaining hostages, including all the women as well as sick and elderly men. In exchange, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons.
Hamas has told international mediators – which include Qatar and Egypt - it does not have 40 living hostages who match those criteria for release, both sources said.
...
With Hamas appearing to be unable to reach 40 in the proposed categories, Israel has pushed for Hamas to fill out the initial release with younger male hostages, including soldiers, the Israeli official said.
An estimated 200 people, including 30 teenagers and young children and 20 people over the age of 60, are being held hostage in Gaza, Israel's public broadcaster Kan said on Thursday, citing military sources.
Hamas says it has 200 hostages and that 50 more are held by other armed groups in the enclave. It said more than 20 hostages have been killed by Israeli air strikes, but has not given any further details.
In November 2023, Palestinian militants held around 250 people from Israel, including Israeli nationals and non-Israelis following their capture during the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Edit 2: my mistake, they corroborate their numbers (250)