There are believed to be 134 hostages remaining in Gaza, out of 253 kidnapped during the Hamas-led assault on the northwestern Negev on October 7 that killed 1,200 people and wounded thousands more. Israel has confirmed that 32 are dead.
Jerusalem is also demanding that the terror group specify the ratio of security prisoners it wants to be released for ever Israeli hostage.
Without those two demands met, Israel decided not to send a delegation to Cairo for talks on a ceasefire deal on Sunday that involved Hamas as well as American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Israel on Monday denied a Saudi report that Hamas did supply the terrorist-to-hostage ratio.
According to Israeli media reports, the American plan put forward at the second Paris summit in late February proposed a six-week ceasefire that would include the release of 400 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for 40 Israeli hostages.
A senior Hamas terror official reportedly described the Cairo talks as “positive” and said that “the ball is in Israel’s court.”
