Israel awaits ‘status of hostages’ in Hamas truce offer, WFP condemns strike on Gaza convoy

FRANCE 24
·1-min read
Family of Liri Albag, an Israeli hostage taken captive by Palestinian militants to the Gaza Strip during the October 7 attacks, demonstrate in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2025.

Hamas has yet to clarify whether an initial batch of captives it said it was prepared to release were dead or alive, Israel said Monday, amid a months-long attempt to strike a deal to end the fighting in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The negotiations continue as Israel kept up its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where the UN’s World Food Programme said one of its convoys was struck by Israeli fire.

Israel said Monday that Hamas had yet to clarify whether 34 hostages it claimed it was ready to free were dead or alive, throwing doubt on the group's assertion that it needed time to ascertain their fate.

Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been working for months to strike a deal to end the fighting in Gaza, but both Israel and Hamas have accused the other of derailing the negotiations.

In recent days, mediators have resumed indirect talks, and a senior Hamas official said late Sunday that the group was prepared to release an initial batch of captives but would need "a week of calm" to determine whether they were still alive.

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Israeli government spokesman David Mencer, however, rejected that claim on Monday.

"Gaza is a very small place. Hamas know exactly where they are."

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident.


Read more on FRANCE 24 English

Read also:
More than two dozen killed in Israeli strikes, Gaza civil defence says
Gaza ceasefire, hostage talks resume in Qatar as Israeli airstrikes kill dozens
Israel and Hamas clash over hostage release deal as Israeli strikes in Gaza intensify

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