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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Begins Counting Israeli Captives

Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)
Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Begins Counting Israeli Captives

Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)
Protesters in Tel Aviv carry photos of Israeli captives (File photo – Prisoners’ Families Command)

Palestinian sources revealed that Hamas has taken new steps to count the number of Israeli captives who were captured during the attacks of October 7, 2023.

According to sources from factions holding some of these captives, the Hamas leadership has reached out to various groups to determine the number of remaining captives in the Gaza Strip. This effort aims to prepare for a potential prisoner exchange deal, as indirect negotiations with Israel make significant progress.

According to reports, some 100 captives are still held inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas has also contacted leaders of its military wing to compile lists of captives and their details. The focus is primarily on living Israeli captives, while efforts are also underway to locate the remains of those killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The sources emphasized that retrieving these bodies would require a ceasefire, a condition Hamas has communicated to Egyptian and other mediators during recent talks.

Some remains are reportedly unaccounted for, as prisoners were killed alongside their captors. Locating them will take time, and a ceasefire would significantly aid in these efforts, the sources noted.

Separately, sources close to the Hamas leadership indicated that the group has prioritized safeguarding the lives of Israeli officers and soldiers captured from military sites. These captives will only be released in later stages of any agreement, in exchange for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences.

Hamas’s leadership is engaged in extensive internal consultations and discussions with Palestinian factions regarding proposals presented during recent meetings in Cairo. The sources pointed to broad consensus within Hamas and among the factions on the necessity of a ceasefire agreement, modeled after previous arrangements in Lebanon. Such an agreement would entail a comprehensive and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Both Hamas and Israel are expected to respond to Egypt’s proposal, supported by other mediators and the United States, by mid-next week. Israel’s security cabinet has convened to discuss developments in the negotiations with Hamas, alongside other security matters. Additional meetings are scheduled for the coming days.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that a senior Israeli delegation is set to travel to Cairo next week to discuss a potential prisoner exchange deal with Hamas. The report speculates that Hamas may respond positively to the Egyptian proposal. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan confirmed that indirect negotiations have resumed, with both sides exchanging ideas to finalize a prisoner swap and end the conflict.

An Israeli political source expressed cautious optimism, noting that Tel Aviv has communicated its seriousness to mediators about advancing a deal. Reports indicate that both Israel and Hamas are demonstrating flexibility on previously contentious issues, signaling an unprecedented level of seriousness from Israel to reach a comprehensive agreement.

Channel 12 also reported that Qatar has resumed its mediation efforts, following approval from US President-elect Donald Trump. These developments follow the release of a video by Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, showing an Israeli-American captive, Aidan Alexander, pleading with Trump to secure his release through a prisoner exchange.

The video prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to contact the captive’s family, assuring them that negotiations could result in an agreement at any moment. Netanyahu later met with the family and reiterated Israel’s commitment to securing the return of all captives held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military disclosed findings about the deaths of six Israeli prisoners who were reportedly killed by Hamas captors in Khan Yunis months earlier. This revelation has increased pressure on Israeli officials to finalize a deal, with military leaders strongly advocating for negotiations.

Netanyahu, initially hesitant, has shown greater openness to an agreement following Trump’s election. Trump has publicly urged for the release of Israeli captives before his January 20 inauguration, reiterating his stance in recent social media statements.

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Arab World

Shiny and Deadly, Unexploded Munitions a Threat to Gaza Children

Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
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Shiny and Deadly, Unexploded Munitions a Threat to Gaza Children

Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
Many casualties are children desperate for something to do or searching through the rubble. Eyad BABA / AFP/File

War has left Gaza littered with unexploded bombs that will take years to clear, with children drawn to metal casings maimed or even killed when they try to pick them up, a demining expert said.

Nicholas Orr, a former UK military deminer, told AFP after a mission to the war-battered Palestinian territory that "we're losing two people a day to UXO (unexploded ordnance) at the moment."

According to Orr, most of the casualties are children out of school desperate for something to do, searching through the rubble of bombed-out buildings sometimes for lack of better playthings.

"They're bored, they're running around, they find something curious, they play with it, and that's the end," he said.

Among the victims was 15-year-old Ahmed Azzam, who lost his leg to an explosive left in the rubble as he returned to his home in the southern city of Rafah after months of displacement.

"We were inspecting the remains of our home and there was a suspicious object in the rubble," Azzam told AFP.

"I didn't know it was explosive, but suddenly it detonated," he said, causing "severe wounds to both my legs, which led to the amputation of one of them."

He was one of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning home during a truce that brought short-lived calm to Gaza after more than 15 months of war, before Israel resumed its bombardment and military operations last month.

For Azzam and other children, the return was marred by the dangers of leftover explosives.

'Attractive to kids'

Demining expert Orr, who was in Gaza for charity Handicap International, said that while no one is safe from the threat posed by unexploded munitions, children are especially vulnerable.

Some ordnance is like "gold to look at, so they're quite attractive to kids", he said.

"You pick that up and that detonates. That's you and your family gone, and the rest of your building."

Another common scenario involved people back from displacement, said Orr, giving an example of "a father of a family who's moved back to his home to reclaim his life, and finds that there's UXO in his garden".

"So he tries to help himself and help his family by moving the UXO, and there's an accident."

With fighting ongoing and humanitarian access limited, little data is available, but in January the UN Mine Action Service said that "between five and 10 percent" of weapons fired into Gaza failed to detonate.

It could take 14 years to make the coastal territory safe from unexploded bombs, the UN agency said.

Alexandra Saieh, head of advocacy for Save The Children, said unexploded ordnance is a common sight in the Gaza Strip, where her charity operates.

"When our teams go on field they see UXOs all the time. Gaza is littered with them," she said.

'Numbers game'

For children who lose limbs from blasts, "the situation is catastrophic", said Saieh, because "child amputees require specialized long-term care... that's just not available in Gaza".

In early March, just before the ceasefire collapsed, Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza. That included prosthetics that could have helped avoid long-term mobility loss, Saieh said.

Unexploded ordnance comes in various forms, Orr said. In Gaza's north, where ground battles raged for months, there are things like "mortars, grenades, and a lot of bullets".

In Rafah, where air strikes were more intense than ground combat, "it's artillery projectiles, it's airdrop projectiles", which can often weigh dozens of kilograms, he added.

Orr said he was unable to obtain permission to conduct bomb disposal in Gaza, as Israeli aerial surveillance could have mistaken him for a militant attempting to repurpose unexploded ordnance into weapons.

He also said that while awareness-raising could help Gazans manage the threat, the message doesn't always travel fast enough.

"People see each other moving it and think, 'Oh, they've done it, I can get away with it,'" Orr said, warning that it was difficult for a layperson to know which bombs might still explode, insisting it was not worth the risk.

"You're just playing against the odds, it's a numbers game."