Hamas tells negotiators it does not have 40 Israeli hostages needed for first round of ceasefire

Members of the Jewish community gather to commemorate the hostages taken in the October 7 Hamas attacks, at St Johns Wood United Synagogue. Credit: AP

Hamas has indicated it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for a new ceasefire deal, an Israeli source has told CNN.

This has raised fears that more hostages, who were taken during the October 7 attack on Israel, may be dead than are publicly known.

The deal, laid out by negotiators, says during a six-week pause in fighting Hamas should release 40 of the remaining hostages, including all the women as well as sick and elderly men.

In exchange, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons.

Hamas has told international mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, it does not have 40 living hostages who match those criteria for release, sources told CNN.

CNN’s record of the conditions of the hostages also suggests there are fewer than 40 living hostages who meet the proposed criteria.

With Hamas appearing to be unable to reach 40 in the proposed categories, Israel has pushed for the group to fill out the initial release with younger male hostages, including soldiers, the Israeli official said.

Throughout the months of negotiations since the last ceasefire, Israel has repeatedly asked for a list of the hostages and their conditions.

Hamas has argued they need a break in the fighting to be able to track and gather down the hostages.

Families of hostages taken in the October 7 Hamas attacks Credit: Lucy North/PA

They made the same argument in November before a week-long pause that broke down after Hamas failed to deliver more hostages.

The majority of the almost 100 hostages who remain alive are believed to be male IDF soldiers or men of military reserve age.

Hamas is expected to try to use them in later phases to try to negotiate more significant concessions, including more high-level prisoners and a permanent end to the war.

The sons of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli strike. Credit: AP

It comes as reports emerge that the three sons of Hamas' supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed.

Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV station as well as Haniyeh family members confirmed on social media that Hazem, Ameer, and Mohammed Haniyeh were killed with family members in the strike near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

Ismail Haniyeh, who now lives in exile in Qatar, is originally from Shati. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

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