Report: Israeli, US officials say low odds of a hostage deal before Trump’s return
Hamas official tells Qatari newspaper terror group can’t provide list of living hostages amid fighting, but Netanyahu reported to say no agreement can be made until list presented

American and Israeli officials said Thursday that the chances of reaching a hostage-ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20 are low, the Walla news site reported.
The comments came as Israel and the terror group traded blame for yet another failure to reach an agreement after a burst of renewed negotiations, more than 14 months since Hamas-led terrorists took 251 people hostage during its October 7, 2023 attack, of whom 96 — including 34 confirmed dead — remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
It was not immediately clear what was expected to change with the US president-elect’s return to the White House, though Trump vowed at the start of this month that there would be “all hell to pay” for terror groups who continued to hold hostages upon his entry.
On Wednesday, Israeli officials charged that Hamas had backed away from a softened stance that could have enabled a deal, and instead returned to a position that is holding up progress. The allegation came after the terror group accused Israel of making new demands in the negotiations and causing a delay.
An unnamed Hamas official told the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed outlet on Thursday that Hamas has provided a partial list of living hostages to negotiators, but is unable to communicate with all the groups holding captives.
The terror group will be in a better position to provide information on the hostages once a ceasefire has begun and communication in Gaza becomes easier, he said.

The newspaper also claimed that the first stage of a proposed ceasefire would see the release of two male soldiers holding American citizenship, as well as two men holding Russian citizenship.
It was unclear whether the Americans referred to were serving IDF troops, as Hamas classifies all men of fighting age as troops.
The report also said there has been some disagreement over the classification of humanitarian cases, with Hamas unwilling to include soldiers wounded during fighting within that category.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week told aides, meanwhile, that he will not agree to any hostage deal with Hamas without receiving a list of the names of living abductees, Walla reported Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the details.
The report said Netanyahu told a meeting this week — following the return of negotiators from talks in Qatar — that “we can’t get any names out of Hamas, and I’m not prepared to enter a deal without knowing what I’m making a deal over and who I’m getting in return.”

Far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu drew outrage on Thursday when he said that firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara — a longtime goal of many in the government — is the most important action the government can take, including freeing the hostages.
“Those who care about the hostages must understand that now more than ever, an unequivocal clarification is needed on the issue of the powers of the attorney general, military prosecutors and the state prosecutors,” he told Channel 12.
It is believed that 96 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. 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.