Hostage negotiations: A Saudi newspaper has published a list of 34 hostages to be released in the first stage of a potential deal.
- The list includes the two Bibas family children, 10 women including the five IDF spotters and the dual British-Israeli Emily Damari, 11 older men and 11 men aged under 50.
- However, Hamas has refused to say who on the list is alive. Instead they are claiming it will take a week or so to determine the condition of each of the hostages.
- Hamas continues to insist that any deal must include an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a permanent ceasefire.
- Israeli negotiators have been in Qatar since Friday, but there has not yet been a breakthrough.
- The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement this morning, “The list of hostages that has been published in the media was not provided to Israel by Hamas but was originally given by Israel to the mediators in July 2024. As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list. Israel will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages.”
- A senior Israeli official told Israel Hayomnewspaper, “The negotiations have continued to advance the entire time, and we have very wisely chosen not to share every detail because that is damaging and is painful for the hostages’ families.”
- Several outstanding issues remains: Israel has continued to insist on receiving a definitive list of living hostages to be release in the first stage. The sides then need to agree on the number and identity of Palestinian prisoners whom Israel will release in exchange for them, and where the prisoners will be released to.
- A second obstacle is Hamas’s demand to receive guarantees that the first stage will lead to a second and third stage, in which the war will end.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu has continued to insist that the fighting will be resumed.
- According to Yediot Ahronot, the sections of the agreement that address a formal end to the war have been worded vaguely. Hamas’s working assumption is that Trump might not allow Israel to renew the war in full force if a ceasefire agreement does go into effect.
Hamas’s psychological warfare: On Saturday, Hamas released another propaganda video showing signs of life from hostage Liri Albag, 19. Her family has asked that people do not share the video or photos from it.
- Albag was kidnapped on October 7th 2023 from the Nahal Oz military outpost.
- The Albag family released a statement after watching the video, “We watched today in horror the video that Hamas released, and we can’t breathe. That isn’t the Liri we know—that is a shadow of Liri. Albeit, [the video is] a sign of life from her, but this wasn’t the video that we had prayed for and it certainly isn’t an insurance policy. The perennially strong Liri appears broken and crushed. She says the words that they forced her to say and sent a lot of messages beyond that, pessimistic and survival.”
- Following the release of the film Liri’s parents received a call from both President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Herzog told them that the “Israeli delegation that is holding the negotiations has to remain in the negotiating room until all 100 hostages return home.”
- Her mother Shira Albag said, “We demanded from the prime minister and defence minister that the negotiating team should not return without an agreement. We understood from their remarks that they are prepared and willing to reach an agreement and to get all of the hostages back home.”