A senior Hamas official has shared with the BBC a list of 34 hostages the Palestinian group says it is willing to release in the first phase of a possible ceasefire agreement with Israel.
It is not clear how many of them are still alive. All but two were captured when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The ages of those on the list range from one to 86 years old. It includes children that Hamas once claimed were killed in an Israeli strike.
A number of hostages that Hamas says are sick are also on the list.
The Israeli prime minister’s office has denied reports that Hamas has provided Israel with a list of hostages.
“The list of hostages published in the media was not handed over to Israel by Hamas, but from Israel to the mediators at the beginning of July 2024,” he said.
“So far, Israel has not received confirmation or comment from Hamas regarding the status of the hostages in the list.”
Britain’s Emily Damari, who was shot and taken from kibbutz Kfar Azar on October 7, is among the names on the list. The suspect, 28, is one of the five female soldiers who were called and five female soldiers.
They combine 19-year-old Liri Albag, who appeared in a video posted by Hamas at the weekend, when he appeared to urge his government to make a deal.
Also on the list are two siblings – Kfir Bibas, one year old approaching his second birthday, and five year old Ariel – who were kidnapped with their parents. Hamas has claimed that the children were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Two Israelis who have been held in Gaza for almost ten years are also among the 34 names. They are Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab who was captured in 2015, and Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu, who reportedly suffered from mental health problems and was kidnapped after crossing into Gaza last year.
The families of the kidnappers said in a statement that they were “deeply shaken and concerned” by the list.
“The time has come for a comprehensive deal to bring back all the hostages – we know more than half are still alive and need immediate rehabilitation, and those killed must be returned for a proper burial. There is no time to waste. The ceasefire must be closed now!”
Hamas’s decision to release the names of the hostages will be seen by some as an attempt to increase public pressure on the Israeli government.
Ceasefire talks resumed in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend, but talks have yet to make any tangible progress.
A senior Hamas official told Reuters news agency that any deal to return Israeli hostages would depend on an agreement for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and a permanent end to the conflict or an end to the war.
“However, until now, the mission continues to be stubborn about the agreement on the issues of ceasefire and withdrawal, and there is no step forward,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Israel and Hamas have consistently accused each other of impeding progress on a ceasefire agreement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Seoul on Monday that he was “certain about that [a deal] it will be completed at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later”, although he admitted that it could happen after Joe Biden leaves office on January 20.
About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were captured in the unprecedented attack, which began a major Israeli military operation in Gaza. One hundred and five hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in November 2023. Another fifty hostages were freed, rescued or their bodies were found.
At least 45,805 Palestinians have been killed during Israeli attacks, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Reports from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry say Israeli airstrikes killed more than 100 people there over the weekend.
Israel’s military said on Sunday its airstrikes struck more than 100 “terrorist” sites in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas fighters.