Egypt, Qatar call on Hamas to provide list of hostages for release

Cairo: Egyptian and Qatari officials are calling on Palestinian movement Hamas to provide a list of hostages who will be released in the first stage of a phased ceasefire agreement with Israel, The Guardian newspaper reported, citing officials.

On Sunday, the Axios news portal reported that the framework of a proposed deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip included an exchange of some 400 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel for 40 Israeli hostages. The draft deal also reportedly included a six-week pause in hostilities and a gradual return of Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip.

Later, The New York Times reported that the Israeli delegation did not attend talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Hamas refused Israel’s request to provide a list of the hostages who were still alive.

US officials say Israel has “more or less” agreed to a six-week ceasefire, the report said. At the same time, US diplomatic sources noted that it was unclear why Hamas was unable to provide a list of hostages for release.

According to one version, the problem lies in the difficulties of communication between Hamas units and other movements, such as Islamic Jihad. According to another source, some Hamas elements are hiding information about the hostages in order to prevent the conclusion of a deal with Israel, the newspaper reported.

At the same time, Washington believes that the absence of an Israeli delegation at the ceasefire negotiations will not affect the possible agreement since Israeli officials could arrive in a few hours if the agreement is reached on a list.