The fate of the hostages is central to the negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza.
But "no one has a clue" about how many of them are still alive, claims a high-ranking representative of the terrorist-stamped Hamas.
The latest ceasefire proposal does not meet Hamas' demands for promises of a war end, says Osama Hamdan in an interview with CNN in Lebanon's capital Beirut.
We need a clear commitment from Israel that the ceasefire is accepted, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and that the Palestinians themselves are allowed to decide their future, about reconstruction and the lifting of the (Israeli) siege. Only then are we ready to talk about a fair agreement on the prisoner exchange, he says.
Over 100 of those taken hostage by Hamas during the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October are believed to still be in Gaza. However, it is unclear how many of them are still alive.
I have no idea about that. No one has a clue about that, claims Hamdan in the interview.
He claims – without presenting any evidence – that three hostages were killed in connection with the Israeli rescue of four hostages on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused the extremist movement of sabotaging the ceasefire through its response to the latest proposal. Hamas' response, presented on Wednesday, contained "several changes" to the three-part agreement proposal, according to Blinken.
According to Hamdan, Hamas believes that Israel does not intend to fulfill the second phase of the ceasefire. The war must cease completely and permanently for the movement to accept the agreement, says the Hamas representative to CNN.
The US-presented ceasefire proposal on the table consists of three phases.
The first phase lasts for six weeks and involves a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "all populated areas in the Gaza Strip" and the exchange of a number of hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Phase two is dependent on the parties first agreeing on "necessary arrangements". But if that happens, it would mean a permanent end to the hostilities, the release of all remaining living hostages, and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
In the third phase, the remains of hostages who are no longer alive will also be returned, and a comprehensive reconstruction plan will be launched.
