Osama Hamdan told CNN nobody ‘has an idea’ (Picture: Reuters)
A Hamas official has said the group are unaware of how many Israeli hostages are dead or alive in Gaza.
120 hostages remain inside the besieged strip, following the release of four hostages – Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41 – last week.
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman and political bureau member, told CNN ‘no one has an idea’ of how many Israeli hostages remain alive.
He added that a deal to release them must dictate a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces.
He said ‘Hamas needed a clear position from Israel to accept the ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and let the Palestinians to determine their future by themselves.’
Weeks ago, Israel confirmed reports that British citizen Nadav Popplewell was among four hostages who died during an Israeli military operation in Khan Younis, Gaza, in April.
Israel has said releasing hostages is a must before a ceasefire (Picture: Shutterstock)
The bombardments inside of Gaza have continued, with hundreds killed at the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Last month, the International Criminal Court has announced it’s seeking arrest warrants for the most prominent Israeli and Hamas leaders.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have the warrants issued, along with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
The ICC said they could be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
It is the first time the ICC has targeted an ally of the United States – Israel.
Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, told CNN: ‘The world was shocked on the 7th of October when people were ripped from their bedrooms, from their homes, from the different kibbutzim in Israel.’
Netanyahu previously said if an arrest warrant was issued, it would be ‘an outrage of historic proportions’ – to which Khan said: ‘Nobody is above the law.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.