Fate of Israeli hostages in Gaza will remain unknown until ceasefire, Hamas says

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - 2024/03/02: A protester holds a placard that says "Bring them home now!" during a demonstration march. Protesters gathered for a demonstration march demanding the release of hostages taken on October 7 by Hamas, a Gaza-based armed organization. This protest was triggered by Hamas's response during hostage deal negotiations in Paris last weekend. Hamas declined to address Jerusalem's request for a list of living hostages, saying it could not gather such a list because the hostages were being held at different locations by different groups. (Photo by Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

There is “no way to know the fate” of Israeli hostages held in Gaza until a ceasefire deal is reached and implemented, a member of Hamas’ political bureau told CNN on Monday.

Israel believes 130 hostages remain in Gaza — 99 of whom are believed to be alive — following Hamas’ October 7 attacks that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.

“It is not possible to know any details about the fate of the Israeli prisoners because they are in different locations and with different factions, we do not know their fate under the bombardment and the starvation policy,” Hamas official Basem Naim said in Istanbul.

“Therefore, we need a ceasefire in order to gather information.”