PM denies Hamas's claim that it approved Israeli list of 34 hostages for possible deal

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that Hamas has not provided a list of hostage names “up to this point,” in a Sunday statement after Hamas claimed earlier that it had approved a list of 34 hostages presented by Israel to be exchanged in a possible ceasefire deal, according to Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, also reiterated that any deal is contingent upon reaching an agreement on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas reportedly stressed the group’s seriousness in seeking to reach a deal as soon as possible as a new round of indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire resumed in Qatar’s Doha on Friday, according to Hamas senior official Basem Naim.

National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby stated on Friday that the White House would not send representatives to participate in this round of negotiations but that President Biden “has made clear his national security team will be a participant all the way to the very end.”

Former hostages speak at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square. (credit: Paulina Patimer)

“We’re going to be doing everything we can to see if we can broker a new ceasefire deal again that will get the hostages home,” Kirby said. “So I don’t have any breakthroughs to speak to today or announcements to make about participation physically, but I can tell you that we’re definitely going to stay focused on this.”

‘The dynamic has changed’

Last week, Hamas claimed that it cannot reach all of the hostages and will need several days after the ceasefire has already begun to compile the list.

A source with knowledge of the matter told The Jerusalem Post, “Mediators are engaged in a serious and continuous effort to bridge gaps. The dynamic has changed. There is some movement and even some flexibility. But it’s not a done deal.”

Hannah Sarisohn and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.