Hamas is reportedly refusing to release 12 of the 34 hostages in the first phase of an alleged deal in the works, instead offering the bodies of 12 killed abductees, a Palestinian source told Israeli state news agency KAN on Monday.
The source claimed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused the release of bodies in the first stage of the deal.
While Hamas has refused to release all the requested 34 living hostages, the terror group has reportedly upped the number of security prisoners it demands released.
Egyptian news channel Al-Ghad reported earlier this month that 11 of the names Israel sent did not meet Hamas’s criteria as the terror organization considered them soldiers. Hamas reportedly only agreed to release the sick, children and the elderly in exchange for 250 security prisoners.
Sources previously revealed to The Jerusalem Post that one of the reasons for a delay in a hostage deal was because Hamas had failed to provide a list of living hostages.
Who will be released?
While the names of the 22 hostages Hamas has promised to release have not been made public, the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, has previously promised Russia that two Russian citizens would be among the first released.
The two Russian hostages, Alexandre Troufanov and Maxin Herkin, are both being held in Gaza, although Troufanov is by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Hamas made similar promises prior to murdering Russian citizen Alexander Lobanov.
Lobanov’s body was discovered in Gaza in September alongside the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, and Ori Danino.
Hamas admitted to killing the six hostages.
AMICHAI STEIN contributed to this report.