CNN reported citing informed sources, including an Israeli one, Hamas has indicated that it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages whose release is anticipated in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
According to the media, intermediaries have proposed a cessation of hostilities for six weeks and the exchange of 40 hostages, including all detained women as well as elderly and sick men, for several hundred Palestinian prisoners.
However, sources state that Hamas informed Egypt and Qatar that it does not possess the necessary number of living hostages to meet these criteria. CNN notes that its own data corroborates this.
Furthermore, the channel's sources emphasize that Hamas's unwillingness or reluctance to disclose who is alive has become a serious obstacle in the negotiations. Hamas may seek to extend the ceasefire under the pretext of searching for Israelis.
Israel has proposed that the Palestinian group supplement the required number with younger men, including soldiers. CNN highlights that, according to its information, the majority of some 100 living hostages are male military personnel and men of reserve age.
