Hamas ready to release all hostages in phase two of ceasefire deal
GAZA CITY Palestinian Territories (AFP) – A senior Hamas official told AFP on Wednesday that the Palestinian militant group was prepared to release all remaining hostages in a single swap during the second phase of the Gaza truce.
“We have informed the mediators that Hamas is ready to release all hostages in one batch during the second phase of the agreement, rather than in stages, as in the current first phase,” said Taher al-Nunu.
Nunu did not clarify how many hostages were currently held by Hamas or other militant groups.
Israel and Hamas are currently in the process of implementing the first phase of the truce, which began on January 19.
Since then, 19 Israeli hostages have been released by militants in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.
After the completion of the first phase, 58 hostages will remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
