A Hamas official says it aims for the largest possible number of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
DOHA/GAZA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Feb 6 said it had delivered its response to a proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza that would also involve the release of hostages, and the United States said it still believed an agreement was possible.
Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Reuters in a text message that Hamas aims for the release of the largest possible number of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. However, US President Joe Biden, while acknowledging “some movement” on a deal, described the Hamas response as “a little over the top”, without elaborating. “We’re not sure where it is. There’s continuing negotiations right now,” he said in Washington.
A Hamas official who asked not to be identified reiterated to Reuters earlier on Feb 6 that the Palestinian Islamist movement would not allow any hostage releases without guarantees that the war would end and Israeli forces leave Gaza.by US and Israeli spy chiefs at a meeting with the Egyptians and Qataris, would secure the release of remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza in return for a long pause to fighting.
Citing an Israeli assessment shared with US and Egyptian officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that as many as 50 hostages could be dead, meaning about 80 hostages held by Hamas are still alive.and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct 7.in Israel’s military campaign, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.
Rafah, just south of it, was also hit by air strikes and tank shelling. Two people were killed in a strike on a house in Rafah while six policemen died after their car was hit, Gaza health officials said.
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