US backs Israeli claim that Hamas still has female hostages it could release

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby appears to back Israel’s claim that Hamas still has additional women and children hostages who it could release within the framework of the collapsed truce.

Israel says roughly 17 Israeli women and children remain in Gaza and that its truce with Hamas stipulated that the terror group would release all of them before freeing other categories of hostages.

However, Hamas refused to present such a list last night and instead proposed holding talks for the release of other categories of hostages, an Israeli official told Hebrew media, saying that Jerusalem rejected the idea and moved to resume the IDF’s fighting, which began after Hamas again violated the truce by firing a rocket at Israel before it expired this morning.

“We think it’s more than plausible that they have more women and children that do and should qualify for an exchange,” Kirby says during a briefing.

“It’s because of Hamas that this pause ended… The onus is on Hamas to be able to produce a list of hostages.”