Hamas insists seven Palestinian leaders be freed in hostage-prisoner swop, say sources

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories – Hamas insists that the list of prisoners Israel is set to release under a Gaza ceasefire deal must include seven senior Palestinian leaders, sources close to negotiators told AFP on Oct 12.

“Hamas insists that the final list include seven senior leaders, most notably Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat, Ibrahim Hamed and Abbas Al-Sayyed,” a source said. The detail was confirmed by a second source.

The first source also said that Hamas and its allied militant groups had “completed all preparations” for handing over to Israel all the living hostages and some of the deceased ones held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held in Gaza for a third day on Oct 12, ahead of the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and an address by US President Donald Trump to Israel’s Parliament.

Thousands of Palestinians continued to travel north towards Gaza City, the focus of Israeli attacks over the past two months, hopeful that the

ceasefire would bring an end to the war

.

Israel’s hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch, in a letter to relatives of the captives that was seen by Reuters, said it was expected that the hostages would start being released on Oct 13.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is due by noon on Oct 13 to release the remaining hostages, taken captive on Oct 7, 2023, when the group’s militants launched a surprise attack on Israel that ignited the war.

Mr Hirsch on Oct 9 said a task force would be formed to help find the remains of any dead hostages Hamas could not locate.

Twenty of the 48 hostages are known to be alive.

Mr Trump is due to arrive in Israel on Oct 13 to address the Knesset, the Parliament before travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war. AFP, REUTERS