Hamas official: Terror group unable to provide full list of living hostages until truce starts

An unnamed Hamas official tells Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed outlet that Hamas has provided a partial list of living hostages to negotiators, but is unable to communicate with all the groups holding captives.

The official says the terror group will be in a better position to provide information on the hostages once the ceasefire has begun and communication in Gaza becomes easier.

The comment comes in the wake of Israeli reports that the terror group is refusing to provide information on the captives it is holding.

The newspaper also claims that the first stage of the ceasefire will see the release of two male soldiers holding American citizenship. It is unclear if this refers to serving troops, as Hamas classifies all men of fighting age as troops.

In addition, the first phase will also see the release of two men holding Russian citizenship, the report says.

The report says there has been some disagreement over the classification of humanitarian cases, with Hamas unwilling to include soldiers wounded during fighting within that category.

Unnamed Egyptian sources claim the talks are “a few steps from the finish line.”

However, Israeli officials charged yesterday that Hamas had backed away from a softened stance that could have enabled a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Gaza war, and instead returned to a position that is holding up progress.

The terror group, which started the war with its October 7 attack last year, earlier accused Israel of making new demands in the negotiations and causing a delay.