Hamas says it's ready to release hostages if 'suitable conditions are facilitated'
Hamas is ready to release civilian hostages if "suitable conditions are facilitated," a Hamas spokesperson said in a press conference Wednesday.
Hamas says it’s ready to release hostages
"From the beginning we have announced our position very clearly," said Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim at a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon. "We are ready to release all the civilians and foreigners inside the Gaza Strip, if the suitable conditions are facilitated, mainly by the Israelis ... in accepting an immediate cease-fire along the whole Gaza Strip."
Israeli media is reporting that Israel is in advanced talks to come to an agreement on releasing a group of hostages in exchange for a humanitarian pause. Israel wants a much larger group of hostages released than the 10 to 15 being proposed. Qatar and Egypt are leading the negotiations.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel declined to confirm or deny the reports on potential hostage negotiations.
"We've seen those reports" but won't "get into the specifics of any of our negotiations or discussions," he said. "I will just reiterate that we have been working around the clock to determine the whereabouts of these hostages. We're working with the Israeli government on every aspect of this including sharing intelligence experts, offering our insight."
Patel did, however, pour some cold water on the notion that Hamas was ready to release hostages or that Israel was refusing a reasonable deal to free them, dismissing recent statements from the group’s military leaders.
"The proof should be in the actions that they undertake, and so if they have a desire to release hostages, we would welcome that," he said.