Ceasefire agreement: Hamas ready to release 34 Israeli hostages

Gaza: A foreign news agency has claimed that Hamas has agreed to release 34 hostages under a possible ceasefire agreement.

According to the foreign news agency, talks have resumed in Doha for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, where efforts to reach an agreement mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been ongoing for several months.

The news agency says that a Hamas leader said on condition of anonymity they are ready to release 34 hostages from the list that Israel has provided regarding the prisoner exchange agreement.

The Hamas leader stated that the initial exchange could include all women, children, the elderly and the sick who are hostages in Gaza, while some hostages may have died, but Hamas needs time to determine their condition.

The Hamas leader added that at least a week of peace would be necessary to establish contact with Hamas fighters in Gaza and identify the dead and alive hostages.

According to the news agency, talks between the representative delegations of the parties were to resume in Doha by the end of the week, but no further details have been revealed so far except for the statement of the Hamas leader, while the French Foreign Minister says that the necessary pressure is being exerted on the parties to reach an agreement.

It is pertinent to note that 251 people were taken hostage in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but after some time, 80 Israeli hostages and 240 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons under a temporary agreement. Despite this, 96 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas in Gaza, while according to the Israeli army, 34 hostages have been killed.

On the other hand, despite efforts to reach an agreement, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continue, and about 100 Palestinians have been martyred in Israeli attacks in the last three days alone.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 45,805 Palestinians have been martyred and more than 98,000 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.