Eight of the 26 people to be released under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement are no longer alive, Israeli spokesman says

 A list has been received from Hamas, indicating whether all 33 hostages released in the first phase are alive or dead. Government spokesman David Manser

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Tel Aviv (Point News / Latest News - International Press Agency. January 28, 2025) Israeli government spokesman David Manser has said that eight of the 26 people to be released by Hamas in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement are no longer alive. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, Manser confirmed that Israel has received a list from Hamas, indicating whether all 33 hostages released in the first phase are alive or dead.

He said that this list from Hamas is consistent with Israeli intelligence information, so I can say here that 25 of our hostages are alive and eight have been killed by Hamas.

Manser mentioned 33 hostages in his statement, but seven of them have already been released alive. However, an Israeli military doctor said that some of the seven hostages released by Hamas from Gaza so far were held in tunnels for eight consecutive months during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Col. Dr. Avi Banu, deputy chief of the Israeli army's medical corps, said that some of the released hostages said they had spent several months in underground tunnels. The hostages said that Hamas's treatment of them improved in the days before their release, providing them with showers, changes of clothes and better food. He did not say whether the hostages showed signs of torture or abuse, but said that some of the hostages had not been given proper treatment or attention since their capture on October 7. However, the latest figures have been released on the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza as a result of the Israeli military operation that began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says that 47,317 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, while at least 111,494 people have been injured. Seven hostages have been released under the first phase and 26 are yet to be released. Of the 26, only 18 are still alive. In this context, according to an official Hamas spokesman, Hamas has said that it will hand over eight bodies along with the prisoners released in the coming weeks. Earlier, a Hamas leader announced that the movement had handed over to mediators a list of the names of 25 of the 33 living prisoners. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that after negotiations with Hamas, the Palestinian movement would release three prisoners on Thursday and three others next week, in exchange for allowing displaced people from southern Gaza to return to the northern areas.

He also confirmed that his country had received a list from Hamas that clarified the status of all hostages, dead or alive, who could be released during the first phase. Shortly after, Hamas confirmed that it had presented the list to Egyptian and Qatari mediators. It should be noted that the first phase of the three-phase agreement under the ceasefire agreement will last six weeks and will see the release of 33 Israeli prisoners in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinians from Gaza.