Hamas official: ‘Big price’ must be paid to get further information on the hostages

A protester holds a placard calling for action to obtain the freedom of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a demonstration close to the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem on March 2, 2024. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)
A protester holds a placard calling for action to obtain the freedom of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a demonstration close to the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem on March 2, 2024. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

An unnamed Hamas leader reportedly says that the terror group will not provide any further details on the hostages in Gaza without a “big price” being paid.

The terror leader makes the comments in an interview with the UK-based Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

“A big price must be paid in terms of alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza and establishing a ceasefire,” he says.

Israeli and Hamas delegations were expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday, Egyptian security sources have said, although another source briefed on the talks said Israel would not send a delegation until it got a full list of hostages who are still alive.

It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops, and the bodies of 11 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 31 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.

One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.

Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

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