According to the publication's interlocutors, Hamas sent this message through Arab intermediaries, and it became the first time Hamas confirmed the presence of 20 living Israeli prisoners.
Israel believes Hamas will release the living hostages before US President Donald Trump arrives on the morning of October 13.
This contradicts Hamas' comments earlier on October 12 that they would reportedly release all remaining hostages, living and dead, before dawn on October 13, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.
Hamas began collecting live hostages in preparation for their handover to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is expected to begin around 6 a.m. However, the group has not yet announced the location of the transfer, and Israeli authorities currently have no information about where exactly the transfer will take place or whether there will be more than one transfer site.
Context
Since October 2023, Israel has been waging war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas in response to its attacks on the country, killing civilians and taking hostages.
After lengthy negotiations, the parties reached a ceasefire agreement on January 15, 2025, but hostilities soon resumed.
On September 29, during a meeting in the White House between Trump and Netanyahu, the American plan of action to end the war was presented; it contains 20 points, and Israel agreed to it.
On October 3, Trump delivered an ultimatum to Hamas: either the group will agree to the demands of a potential peace agreement, which Israel has already agreed to, by the evening of October 5, or it will feel “real hell.”
In its official response to Trump's plan, Hamas announced its readiness to release the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. However, the group submitted a request for negotiations on many details.
On October 9, it became known about preparations for the implementation of the agreement regarding the future of the Gaza Strip.
By words Netanyahu, before Trump’s second arrival in the White House, Israel managed to free 158 hostages, 117 of them alive. Since Trump took office as US president, Israel has returned home 49 more living and dead Hamas hostages, the Israeli prime minister added. “But the most difficult task remained the return home of all the remaining hostages, 20 living and 28 dead,” Netanyahu said in a video message on October 10.
