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Egyptian and Qatari officials are putting pressure on Hamas negotiators in Cairo to produce a list of hostages to be released as the first step in a phased ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Israel has not sent a delegation to the second day of talks in Cairo, demanding that Hamas present a list of 40 elderly, sick and female hostages who would be the first to be released as part of a truce that would initially last six weeks, beginning with the month of Ramadan, the officials say.
Hamas is meanwhile demanding that large-scale humanitarian aid should be allowed into Gaza and that Palestinians displaced from their homes in the north of the coastal strip should be allowed to return.
US officials have said that Israel had “more or less” accepted the six-week ceasefire deal, which John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, confirmed would involve a six-week truce and begin with the release of sick, elderly and female hostages.
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Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/04/hamas-negotiators-pressured-to-produce-list-of-israeli-hostages-to-be-released