Eight of the 26 hostages, which are expected to be released in the coming few weeks, are not alive, according to Israeli officials.
Later on Sunday, Hamas provided Israel long -awaited information about the state of the hostage listed for release during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza War. This step after the weekend was followed by intensive negotiations to resolve a dispute that threatened to derail the agreement.
According to the ceasefire agreement, 33 hostages should be released in the first phase in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Seven has already returned home, after more than 15 months in captivity in Gaza. Three civilian women were liberated on January 19, on the day the provisional ceasefire entered into force and four female soldiers were released on January 25th.
Israeli government spokesman, David Mencer, said on Monday The fact that Hamas provided a list indicating that 25 out of 33 hostages were alive and that eight were killed.
“The Hamas list corresponds to Israeli intelligence,” Mencer added.
The list did not specify who was alive and who was dead by name, but, according to two Israeli officials, provided numbers that recorded more detailed information in the hands of Israel.
The Israeli authorities spoke with families 26 hostages that will be released in the coming weeks after Hamas provided his account, according to the government, although confirmation of death in the form of bodies or DNA evidence is still waiting. As a result, eight hostage families have been said so far, only that there is a high probability that their relatives will not return alive.
Dani Elgarat, the brother of the hostage of itzika Elgarata, spoke in the Israeli parliament on Tuesday, he said that the family was likely to accept their body on the basis of what they have been told so far. If an agreement on the ceasefire was reached, Mr. Elgarat told the legislators, believed that his brother could be saved.
Israel said that 87 hostages remain in Gaza of a total of about 250 captured during An attack led by Hamas on southern Israel 7th October 2023, which caused war. Since 2014, Hamas has been holding three more and two of them are considered alive. Israeli officials said they believe that at least 35 out of a total of 90 remaining prisoners were dead.
Israel demanded the release of what he considered to be the most urgent cases in the first phase of the agreement: civilian women, followed by female soldiers, then men over 50 and several younger men who were sick or injured with priority to those alive.
The dispute at the weekend was caused by Hamas’s release civilian woman, Arbel YehudSaturday. Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire conditions by launching four female soldiers first and responding by a delay in the return of the displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza.
Under the new understanding that was achieved through the late Sunday mediators, Hamas agreed to release Mrs. Yehud before Friday, along with the last female soldier who took place in Gaza, Agam BergerAnd the third hostage that Israel has not yet been named. Three more hostages are expected on Saturday.
Palestinian Islamic jihad, a smaller armed group that says she is holding Mrs. Yehud, released a video From it on Monday as evidence of life.
Mrs. Yehud is the last female civil hostage, which is expected to be alive.
Another civilian woman, Shiri Bibas, remains in Gaza after being kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz with her two young sons Ariel, who was 4, and KFIR, for 9 months. The Israeli army expressed serious concern for the lives of Mrs. Bibas and her children, although their death was not confirmed.
Gabby Sobelman and Myra noveck The report contributed.