Tel Aviv: The Israeli government has said that eight of the remaining 26 hostages who were due to be released by the Gaza-based Hamas militant group as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement are dead, reported BBC.
Israel government’s spokesperson David Mencer confirmed the development and said that the Israeli counterparts received a list from Hamas which provided the necessary information regarding the status of the hostages.
“The list from Hamas matches Israel’s intelligence, so I can share with you that…eight have been killed by Hamas. The families have been informed of the situation of their relatives,” Mencer said.
According to Mencer, the eight hostages were killed by the Palestinian militant group, which has not commented on the cause of their deaths. As per the Israeli government’s data, the remaining 26 hostages due to be released in the first phase include 21 men, three women, and two children, ranging in age from two years old to 86 years old, CNN reported. Israel, which has released close to 300 Palestinians till now, is poised to free almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first part of the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House on February 4 to discuss peace in the region and methods to counter their “shared adversaries," The Times of Israel reported.
Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to visit the White House in Trump's second presidential term, said the Israeli prime minister's office on X. In a letter issued by the White House to Netanyahu, Trump said, “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbours, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.”
The announcement of the meeting of the two world leaders came ahead of a second phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which will be mediated by the United States.
In a video posted on his social media handle this week, Netanyahu thanked President Trump, for "keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, fight our common enemies, and ensure a future of peace and prosperity."
