Gaza strip: Hamas: Eight hostages intended for exchange

According to the Hamas, eight out of 33 hostages that are supposed to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel are dead. 25 of them are still alive, a member of the Islamist organization of the German Press Agency said. Israel’s government spokesman said that a list transmitted by the Hamas corresponds to these figures with Israeli intelligence information.

The eight hostages were killed by Hamas, said government spokesman David Mencer. In the case of several hostages in the past, the kidnappers had declared that they were killed by Israeli bombing. This information cannot currently be checked independently.

According to Israeli information, the families were informed about the condition of their deprived relatives.

Seven of the 33 hostages have already been released on the past two weekends. In exchange for the 33 hostages, a total of 1904 Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons.

According to Israeli information, Hamas said a list of the hostage of the hostages on Sunday. According to the agreement, she would have been due on Saturday. It was already known that not all of them are alive and some of them are only concerned with the transfer of mortal remains.

The group of 33 hostages includes women, two children, older and sick people. According to media reports, there are also two Israelis that have been recorded in the Gaza Strip for more than ten years.

According to Israeli government information, the next three hostages are to be released on Thursday. Among them is a civilian who, according to media reports, also has German citizenship. The release of three other hostages is then planned for Saturday.

90 hostages in the Gaza Strip

A total of 90 hostages are still recorded in the Gaza Strip, most of them were deported during the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. 35 of them are said to be dead.

Those who are not released in the first phase of the Gaza agreement should be released in a second phase. However, both parties to the conflict still have to negotiate the details – it is open whether there is an agreement. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is expected to take six weeks.