The fate of the 120 remaining hostages in Gaza is critical to any potential deal to end the ongoing and bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, a senior Hamas official has admitted that “no one has an idea” how many of these hostages are still alive. He also stated that any agreement to release them must include guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
In an interview, Hamas spokesperson and political bureau member Osama Hamdan shed light on the militant group’s stance on the stalled ceasefire talks. He also addressed whether Hamas regrets its decision to attack Israel, given the mounting Palestinian death toll, and commented on leaked messages from its chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be the ultimate decision-maker on any peace deal.
The U.S. views Hamas as key to the negotiations. “The haggling has to stop,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC, urging Sinwar to end the war. “He’s relatively safe underground; the people that he purports to represent, they’re suffering every day.”
Speaking from Beirut, Hamdan stated that the latest proposal on the table—an Israeli plan first publicly announced by U.S. President Joe Biden late last month—does not meet Hamas’s demands for an end to the conflict.
Hamdan emphasized that Hamas needs “a clear position from Israel to accept the ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and let the Palestinians determine their future by themselves, including reconstruction and lifting the siege. We are ready to talk about a fair deal regarding the prisoners exchange.”
Negotiations over the U.S.-backed proposal have intensified but seemed to stall after Hamas presented its response. Blinken expressed frustration over Hamas’s decision to submit “numerous changes,” some of which he described as unworkable.
The U.S.-backed ceasefire plan approved by the United Nations Security Council outlines a phased approach. The first phase includes a six-week ceasefire, during which some hostages would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, and the Israeli military would pull out of populated areas in Gaza. The second phase, involving a permanent end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, would be implemented after further negotiations.
However, Hamdan said that the duration of the ceasefire is a crucial issue for Hamas, which fears Israel has no intention of following through with the second phase. He insists the end of hostilities must be permanent and that Israel must completely withdraw from Gaza.
While Israel has not publicly committed to the deal, the White House has repeatedly stressed that it was an Israeli plan accepted by the government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure to announce his support for the current plan, has stated that the war will not end until Israel eliminates Hamas.
Hamdan deflected questions about Hamas’s role in the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, calling the October 7 attacks “a reaction against the occupation.” The attack was the deadliest assault in Israel’s history, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulting in some 250 hostages being taken into Gaza.
Israel retaliated by declaring war on Hamas, launching intense bombardment and a ground invasion, causing significant devastation in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry reports over 37,000 people killed, mostly women and children, with about 90% of the territory’s population displaced.
Hamdan also dismissed reports that Sinwar suggested the deaths of thousands of Palestinians were “necessary sacrifices,” calling the messages fake. Sinwar has not been seen publicly since the October 7 attacks and is believed to be hiding in Gaza.
The ongoing conflict has made it clear that completely eliminating Hamas is unlikely. Despite the IDF killing some Hamas commanders, the group’s top leadership, including Sinwar, continues to evade capture. American intelligence officials believe Sinwar thinks Hamas can survive Israel’s attempts to destroy it.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces increasing pressure to secure the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza. Israel believes more than 70 of the hostages are still alive. However, Hamdan claimed that the recent Israeli operation to free four hostages resulted in the deaths of three others, including an American citizen, without providing evidence.
Concerns persist that more hostages may be dead than publicly known. In April, Hamas informed international mediators that it could not fulfill Israel’s demand to free 40 of the remaining hostages in the first phase of a deal, as it did not hold 40 living hostages matching the criteria for release.
Hamdan dismissed claims of mistreatment of hostages, blaming Israel for any mental health issues resulting from their captivity. He also claimed, without evidence, that hostages were in better condition after their release, a claim contradicted by observed reality.