Senior Hamas official warns locating hostages held in Gaza will require "time and security" Since Sunday, a ceasefire proposal has been put on the table by the mediators, but has not yet received the approval of the Palestinian Islamist movement and Israel. More than 250 people have been kidnapped and 129 remain detained in Gaza, including 34 who have died, according to Israeli officials.
The Hamas attack on October 7 caused the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians. The retaliatory offensive launched by Israel has so far left 33,545 dead in Gaza,. According to the Hamas Health Ministry, the majority of those killed were civilians. “Hamas is studying the offer,” a spokesperson for the organization repeated on Wednesday, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas on Thursday of “turning its back” on “a very reasonable offer.” “What was offered to us during the last round of negotiations regarding the ceasefire does not meet our demands," a senior Hamas official said.