Hamas Refuses to Release Hostages, Offers Bodies in Alleged Deal Stalemate

Hamas has reportedly refused to release 12 of the 34 hostages originally promised in the first phase of an alleged deal. Instead, the terror group has offered the bodies of 12 abducted individuals who were killed, according to a Palestinian source speaking to Israeli state news agency KAN on Monday. This refusal comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly rejected the offer to release the bodies in place of the living hostages.

Hamas had previously agreed to release 22 hostages, though the identities of these individuals remain undisclosed. However, the group has upped the stakes by demanding an increased number of security prisoners be released in exchange for the hostages, a move that complicates negotiations.

Earlier reports indicated that Hamas rejected Israel’s list of 34 hostages, claiming that 11 of them were considered soldiers, and thus not eligible for release under the proposed deal. Hamas is said to have agreed only to release the sick, elderly, and children among the hostages in exchange for the release of 250 security prisoners.

A key obstacle in the deal was Hamas’s failure to provide Israel with a comprehensive list of living hostages, further delaying any potential breakthrough. The tensions surrounding the hostage crisis have been met with protests in Israel, as citizens continue to call for the safe return of those abducted during Hamas's deadly October 7th attack.

Notably, Hamas’s deputy head, Mousa Abu Marzouk, previously assured Russia that two Russian nationals, Alexandre Troufanov and Maxin Herkin, would be included among the first hostages to be released. However, the ongoing hostage situation remains unresolved as the international community watches closely.

The complex negotiations are also shadowed by previous reports that Hamas had executed hostages, including Russian national Alexander Lobanov, whose body was found alongside several other victims in Gaza in September.