Hamas has informed Israel through Arab mediators that the terrorist organization possesses 20 living Israeli hostages and stands prepared to commence their release as early as Sunday, according to individuals familiar with the communications, potentially moving up the presumed schedule from Monday morning. Israel triggered a 72-hour window on Friday when it redeployed in the Gaza Strip to a new "yellow line." The window was set to close Monday at noon, just as President Donald Trump would be addressing Israel's parliament, the Knesset.
The communication represents the first instance in which Hamas has verified possession of 20 living Israeli captives, The Wall Street Journal reported. Israel had maintained estimates suggesting as many as 20 hostages remained alive within Gaza, alongside approximately 28 bodies of deceased captives.
The message also resolves questions surrounding Hamas' operational capacity to rapidly assemble all living hostages given the organization's fragmented and battered condition following months of conflict, The Wall Street Journal noted.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement shortly after the report was made, saying, "Israel is fully prepared for the immediate handover of all of our hostages." His office added that "all 20 living hostages will be handed over to the Red Cross on Monday morning in eight or six vehicles, and we insist that no handover ceremonies be held."
Israeli military forces are conducting preparations to receive the hostages as early as Sunday evening, an Israeli official told The Wall Street Journal. However, military planners still consider Monday the more probable date for the handover, aligning with President Trump's scheduled visits to Israel and Egypt.
The agreement brokered by President Trump and finalized just before the weekend requires Hamas to release all hostages currently held in Gaza. Hamas communicated to mediators and Israeli officials that the organization lacks knowledge of certain deceased hostages' locations and will face difficulties meeting the accord's 72-hour deadline for delivering remains, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Israeli intelligence services share the assessment that Hamas does not possess information about all body locations, and Israeli authorities have acknowledged that collecting the remains will require additional time beyond the initial deadline, the paper reported.
A joint multinational task force is being established to conduct search operations for bodies of Israeli hostages whose locations remain unknown throughout the Gaza Strip, the individuals said. The task force will include participation from Turkey, the United States, Qatar and Egypt, The Wall Street Journal reported.
