THE Hamas ignores which of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip are alive and which are dead; he said today, speaking to Agence France-Presse, one high-ranking official of the Palestinian organization.

“We don’t know exactly which of them are alive or dead, if they were killed by the (Israeli) strikes or if they died of hunger,” Bassem Naim said. “The captives are held by different groups, in different locations,” he explained.

About 250 people were abducted and taken to Gaza during Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. According to the Israeli authorities, 130 hostages still remain in the Palestinian enclave, but 31 of them are dead. About 100 others were released in November in an exchange with Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

The issue of hostages is at the center of negotiations being held in Cairo aimed at a cease-fire in Gaza, five months after the start of the war. Mediator countries (Egypt, Qatar, the US) are seeking to reach an agreement before Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims which this year begins on March 10 or 11.

According to Israeli media, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that Hamas hand over an accurate list of hostages held in Gaza and has not sent a delegation to Cairo, unlike the Palestinian organization, because it was not given that list. Hamas, for its part, is demanding a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces before agreeing to release the hostages.

According to Bassem Naim, who is in Cairo, “the question concerning the prisoners (i.e. hostages) was not mentioned in any document or proposal during the negotiation process.”

“The ceasefire is necessary so that we can