(CNN)– A member of the Hamas political bureau, Bassem Naim, said on Thursday that an exchange deal is being discussed between his movement and Israel as part of Ceasefire negotiations.
Naim added, in a statement, that “part of the negotiations is to reach a ceasefire agreement to obtain enough time and safety to collect final and more accurate data” on the hostages being held in Gaza.
He added, “Because they (the hostages) are in different places with different groups, and some of them are under the rubble, they were killed with our people, and we are negotiating to obtain heavy equipment for this purpose.”
Naeem’s statement came in response to media questions about whether Hamas rejects the latest proposal, which was presented in Cairo over the weekend, because it cannot release 40 hostages in the first phase of the 3-stage ceasefire agreement.
According to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the negotiations, Hamas has indicated that it is currently unable to identify and track these 40 Israeli hostages, raising concerns that more hostages may have been killed than is publicly known.
CNN’s record of hostage conditions also indicates that there are fewer than 40 hostages alive who meet the proposed criteria.
2024-04-12 00:50:22
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