Hamas official Osama Hamdan on Tuesday appeared to douse optimism on the possibility of a hostage deal after Israel sent it a proposal for a three-phased agreement that reignited hope to see the return of the remaining captives as well as intense political debate.
“We asked the mediators to get a clear Israeli position to commit to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza,” he said at a press conference in Beirut.
Israel says more than a third of Gaza hostages are dead
Israel believes that more than a third of the remaining Gaza hostages are dead, a government tally showed on Tuesday, as the United States sought to advance their recovery under a proposal to wind down the war with Hamas.
Of about 250 people dragged into the Gaza Strip by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists during the Oct. 7 cross-border massacres that sparked the war, scores were freed in a November truce, while others have been recovered – dead or alive – by Israeli troops.
