Israel says Hamas has yet to give list of living hostages to be released — report
Arab diplomat tells ToI that main hang-up is wording about end of war vs. end of ‘operation’; Israel reportedly to provide a list of 70-100 security prisoners it refuses to release
Hamas has still not provided Israel with a list of living hostages held by terror groups in the Gaza Strip that would be exchanged during a hostage-ceasefire deal, according to a Saturday television news report citing Israeli officials.
Channel 12 news first reported that the terror group had yet to hand over the list of names, but said that nevertheless, Israeli officials believe that progress is being made in the ongoing negotiations.
Earlier on Saturday, Hebrew media reported that the head of the IDF intelligence corps, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, visited Cairo over the weekend for meetings with his Egyptian counterparts. The report clarified that the visit was not focused on the hostage talks, but rather security cooperation.
Channel 12 reported later that Israel denied that Binder had visited Cairo.
However, delegations of leaders from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine did convene in Cairo on Friday to discuss the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
In a readout of the meeting, Hamas said the possibility of reaching a deal “is closer than ever if the enemy stops setting new conditions.”
All three terror groups are believed to be holding hostages throughout Gaza, kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel.
The factions “stressed everyone’s keenness to stop the aggression against our people,” the Hamas statement said, apparently referring to its demand for a permanent ceasefire.
The nature of the ceasefire deal is the main issue of contention in the talks, with Hamas demanding a permanent end to the fighting, while Israel is seeking a temporary pause during which some of the hostages would be released followed by a resumption of its fighting to finish dismantling the terror group’s military and governing capabilities, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel earlier this week.
Israel has sought to have the agreement refer to the ceasefire as one that “end[s] the military operation,” while Hamas is insisting that the text states that the ceasefire will “end the war.”
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his stance against a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, saying he would only agree to a temporary pause as part of a hostage release deal, and reiterating his plan to see Hamas completely dismantled.
“I’m not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas,” he said. “We’re not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 30 miles from Tel Aviv. It’s not going to happen.”
Also on Saturday, responding to a media report that Palestinian security prisoner Marwan Barghouti’s family recently visited Qatar to discuss his release to Turkey as part of a hostage deal, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement declaring, “the terrorist Marwan Barghouti will not be released if and when a deal is made to release the hostages.”
Hamas has reportedly demanded the release of the top Fatah figure and jailed intifada leader as part of the hostage deal with Israel.
Barghouti, 64, is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his part in planning three terror attacks that killed five Israelis during the Second Intifada.
He is often touted as one of the top candidates to succeed octogenarian Mahmoud Abbas as leader of the Palestinian Authority. He is especially favored by the younger generation, who perceive him as untainted by the PA’s corruption and collaboration with Israel.
Following the PMO’s vow not to release Barghouti, Channel 12 reported that Israel was insisting on presenting a list to the mediators with the names of 70 to 100 security prisoners who it would refuse to release as part of an agreement.
Numerous attempts to reach a new hostage deal since a week-long truce in November, 2023, saw the release of 105 hostages have repeatedly failed, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of sabotaging efforts and refusing to budge on key issues.
However, the current round of negotiations has seemingly come close to securing a deal that would guarantee the release of at least some of the 96 hostages abducted during Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel last year and still being held captive in Gaza.
During the attack, some 3,000 terrorists rampaged through Israel’s southern communities, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Four hostages were released before the temporary truce in November. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 38 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
