31 news of death delivered
Israel: Probably only 105 hostages left alive
February 6, 2024, 8:54 p.m
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According to Israeli information, 136 hostages are still being held by Hamas. But the military has now declared 31 of them dead. The families have been informed. Meanwhile, negotiations for a ceasefire continue. The USA says there is still a lot to do.
According to Israeli information, 31 of the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip are no longer alive. This was announced by Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari. “We have informed 31 families that their captured relatives are no longer among the living and we have declared them dead,” he said. According to Israeli information, 136 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the struggle for an agreement between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, which has submitted its response to the latest proposal by international mediators to bring about a temporary ceasefire, continues.
“We have received a positive response from Hamas, it contains several reservations but is generally positive,” Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that he would deliver the answer to Israel. There is “still a lot to do,” he said. “But we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed essential.” Blinken assured that he and the US partners would continue to work “tirelessly” on this. The agreement offers “the prospect of a longer period of calm,” said Blinken. In addition, hostages would come “out” of the Gaza Strip and more help would come “in.” “This would clearly be beneficial for everyone involved and I think this is the best way forward,” he said.
In a statement posted on its Telegram channel, Hamas said it and its allies had handled the mediation proposal “in a positive spirit.” However, the agreement must lead to a complete and comprehensive ceasefire, an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of the war-torn coastal area and the full release of Palestinian prisoners.
According to media reports, the mediators’ proposal is a multi-stage framework agreement that provides for a longer ceasefire, but leaves several important details open. In the first phase, Hamas is expected to release three dozen female, elderly male and injured hostages. During the ceasefire, Israel and Hamas should then continue to negotiate through mediators in order to achieve the release of all hostages held by Hamas. The proposed deal leaves important details open – they still need to be clarified in the course of further negotiations. No number has yet been negotiated for the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.
In the only agreement of its kind to date, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners, all women and young people, in November in return for 105 Hamas hostages, including 14 German citizens. The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on October 7th in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip.