According to CNN, Hamas is having difficulty identifying and tracking 40 living hostages that meet the criteria for release in the first phase of negotiations in Cairo. This information was revealed by an Israeli official and a source familiar with the situation. The negotiated proposal involves a ceasefire accompanied by the release of 40 hostages, including women, wounded individuals, and elderly men, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees. However, one major obstacle in the negotiations is Hamas’s inability or reluctance to provide Israel with a list of the living hostages.
Without the 40 hostages fitting the specified categories, Israel has requested that younger male hostages, including soldiers, be included on the list. It is believed that most of the remaining hostages are male soldiers or men of military reserve age, which Hamas may try to leverage for additional concessions. Meanwhile, in a tragic turn of events, three sons of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza. Al Jazeera reported on the incident, stating that Haniyeh’s sons Hazem, Amir, and Muhammad were among those who lost their lives. Haniyeh confirmed the news and denounced Israel’s actions while emphasizing that Palestinian leaders will not back down in the face of such brutality.
The killing of Haniyeh’s sons could potentially derail the hostage deal negotiations according to an Israeli source. Hamas may take retaliatory action in response to the deaths further complicating an already tense situation. The loss of innocent lives on both sides underscores
