A senior Hamas leader has admitted that the militant group does not have a clear picture of the fate of the hostages it holds in Gaza, as it continues to demand an end to the Israeli offensive and blockade.
According to Times of Israel, Basim Naim, a member of the Hamas politburo, told the BBC in an interview from Istanbul that the group had not provided any list of the living or dead hostages to Israel, because it was unable to verify their status amid the ongoing conflict.
“It is impossible to know exactly who is still alive and who has been killed, either by the Israeli attacks or by the hunger caused by the Israeli siege,” Naim said on Sunday. “The hostages are scattered in different locations with different factions, and we need a ceasefire to be able to gather the information.”
Naim insisted that Hamas would not negotiate a prisoner exchange deal with Israel unless the latter stopped its military operation and lifted its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has been in place since 2007.
