Washington, Jan 6 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Hamas has not provided a name list of Israeli hostages to be released.
“Hamas has not transferred a name list of (Israeli) hostages so far,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday, denying previous media reports, which, citing a Hamas official, said the group agreed to release 34 hostages.
Meanwhile, Israel’s state-owned media reported on Sunday that Mossad chief David Barnea will travel tomorrow to Qatar to take part in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks.
On Thursday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said Palestinian factions need a week to prepare and deliver a list of Israeli hostages for exchange during the first phase of a possible ceasefire deal, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting Israel’s state-owned Kan TV.
Earlier on Saturday, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, also released a video showing a female Israeli hostage who is being held in the Gaza Strip, demanding the Israeli government and army conclude a prisoner swap deal.
“I am 19 years old … I spent more than 450 days in captivity in Gaza, and everything suddenly stopped,” said the hostage, identified as Liri Albag, in the video in Hebrew.
“We are not a priority for our government or our army, and the world has begun to forget us; no one cares about us anymore,” Albag added in the video, which has no specific date.
Hamas confirmed on Friday that indirect negotiations with Israel have resumed in Doha, Qatar, with the goal of achieving a complete ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas has previously accused Israel of delaying the ceasefire deal and hostage exchange by setting new conditions.
This is the first video published by Al-Qassam in 2025 about the hostages.
–IANS
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