(CNN) – Israel’s latest proposal to Hamas is to halt the war for a week in order to return about 35 hostages, including the remaining women, the elderly, the wounded and the sick, held in Gaza, a senior US official told CNN.
This group of hostages includes the three elderly men who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border and who recently appeared in a video released by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, demanding their release.
CNN was unable to independently verify the date or location of the footage or the condition of the prisoners in the Qassam video.
The senior US official declined to say whether Yahya Sinwar, the supreme leader of Hamas in Gaza, had responded to the latest Israeli proposal regarding the hostages (Sinwar is Israel’s main target in Gaza, and the Israeli military has described him as a “dead man walking”).
Israeli and American officials indicated that they believe that Sinwar may be present in the tunnel network located under his hometown of Khan Yunis.
While Israel returned to the negotiating table to obtain more hostages held in Gaza, Israeli and American officials made clear that a deal did not appear imminent, CNN previously reported.
#latest #Israeli #offer #Hamas #Sources #reveal #CNN
2023-12-22 05:20:25
