Israel Hamas: Eight hostages earmarked for exchange dead

According to Hamas, eight of 33 hostages 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 told the German Press Agency. Israel's government spokesman said that a list provided by Hamas with these figures was consistent with Israeli intelligence information.

The eight hostages were killed by Hamas, according to government spokesman David Mencer. In the case of several hostages, the kidnappers had stated in the past that they had been killed by Israeli bombardments. This information cannot currently be independently verified.

According to Israeli sources, the families have been informed about the condition of their abducted relatives.

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

Hamas sends list

According to Israeli sources, Hamas had sent a list of the hostages' condition on Sunday. According to the agreement, it would have been due on Saturday. It was already known that not all of them were still alive and that for some of them it was only a matter of transferring their mortal remains.

The group of 33 hostages includes women, two children, elderly and sick people. According to media reports, they include two Israelis who have been held in the Gaza Strip for more than ten years.

According to Israeli government sources, the next three hostages are to be released on Thursday. They include a civilian who, according to media reports, also has German citizenship. The release of three more hostages is planned for Saturday.

90 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip

A total of 90 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, most of whom were abducted during the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli reports, 35 of them are dead.

Those who are not released in the first phase of the Gaza agreement are to be released in a second phase. However, both parties to the conflict have yet to negotiate the details - it remains to be seen whether an agreement will be reached. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is to last six weeks.

SDA