Hamas provides details on ‘around 20 living hostages’ as Gaza deal nears completion – Israeli officials
As talks over the U.S.-brokered plan to end the Gaza war edge toward conclusion, Hamas has provided information about roughly 20 living hostages, according to Israeli officials quoted by Channel 12 News on Wednesday.
The report indicates that the militant group has informed mediators it is still searching for the bodies of several slain hostages.
Of the 48 remaining hostages, Israel has confirmed the deaths of 26, though officials caution that some may never be located due to the chaos of the conflict and internal divisions within Gaza.
Under the proposed agreement, Israel would begin releasing Palestinian security prisoners once the hostage-release phase is complete.
According to reports, the current understanding is that Hamas must first hand over all surviving hostages, return as many bodies as it can locate, and confirm that it is no longer holding captives as bargaining tools before Israel begins its prisoner releases.
The report adds that Israel will not release members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba unit, who directly participated in the October 7, 2023 massacre.
However, Israeli officials are reportedly showing “some flexibility” regarding other high-profile prisoners serving life sentences, an issue that has often stalled past negotiations.
Sources stated that Egyptian and Qatari mediators are aiming for a final signing ceremony on Thursday.
Israel’s government is said to have already begun drafting the cabinet decision proposal that would authorize the deal.
The agreement may also include “cosmetic adjustments” to the map of Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) interim withdrawal lines from Gaza, which the White House released last week, showing Israeli forces maintaining positions in about 57% of the Strip.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has reportedly invited U.S. President Donald Trump to Egypt to attend the potential signing ceremony.
The timing, possibly Friday, would coincide with the announcement of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, an award Trump has frequently said he deserves for his Middle East diplomacy.
However, a White House spokesperson told Channel 12’s Barak Ravid that Trump currently has no confirmed plans to travel to the Middle East for the event.
Despite that, senior White House officials said they remain “very optimistic” that an agreement could be finalized within days.
Meanwhile, sources close to Qatari diplomats expressed confidence that the deal could be completed by Friday, with hostage releases beginning as early as next week.
