The Palestinian Hamas movement has agreed to release 34 hostages on the Israeli list as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to a Hamas source, reports Asharq News television.
As per this source, the list presented by Israel and approved by Hamas meets the standards agreed during the last round of negotiations. It includes women, children, and the sick being held in Gaza. Hamas has agreed to release these hostages, but it will take about a week to determine for sure whether they are still alive.
Straddling between hope and cynicism, the brother of Israeli hostage Or Levy is sure of one thing - his sibling dreams of going home to his son.
Michael Levy's brother, Or, has been held in captivity by Hamas militants since the group launched its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023
Or was taken hostage at the Nova music festival, where his wife was killed.
His son, Almog Levy, celebrated his third birthday a few months ago.
Michael said he’s imagined the scene of re-uniting with his brother, but all he wanted to do was to hug him.
Like many families of Israeli civilians still being held by Hamas, Michael is urging the Israeli government to reach a deal that will “bring back all hostages”, fearing that “some might die in captivity”.
Israel and Hamas wrangled on Sunday (January 5) over the details of an agreement to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip and return hostages home, as Palestinian officials said intensified Israeli bombardments had killed more than 100 people over the weekend.
A Hamas official said the group had approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be returned as part of a potential deal, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office swiftly issued a statement saying Hamas had provided no such list.
Later on Sunday, the Hamas official provided Reuters a copy of the list showing the names of 34 hostages it agreed to set free in any possible ceasefire deal with Israel.
After previous talks led to false hopes in the past, Michael said he tries to ignore the discussions - while he wants to believe his brother will come home, he tries not to let himself "believe too much".
Einav Zangauker, the mother of 25-year-old hostage Matan Zangauker, has publicly called for an end to the war, and criticised Netanyahu for putting the hostages' lives in danger.
In a self-recorded video, Zangauker said the prime minister was putting his own interests ahead of Israeli hostages and soldiers.
The U.S. government is heavily involved in the latest push for a deal, which the administration of President Joe Biden will hope to reach before he is replaced by President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
A Hamas official told Reuters any agreement to return Israeli hostages would hinge on a deal for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire or end to the war.
