Hamas agrees in principle to Egypt's ceasefire proposal

The National News of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on December 9 quoted sources as saying that Hamas's stance agreed in principle with the ceasefire proposal that was sent to Egyptian negotiators on December 8, during a visit to Cairo by senior Hamas leaders Khalil Al Hayya and Zaher Jabareen.

Hamas leaders also released a list of hostages the group plans to release as part of a hostage swap deal with Israel.

The list includes detainees who are US citizens or dual US-Israeli nationals. The sources added that Hamas has begun compiling a list of about 100 hostages currently held in Gaza.

The list details the names, locations, health conditions of the hostages and the number of people who have died while in captivity.

The hostage count is a key part of an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire plan that includes the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor and the Rafah border crossing on the Gaza side.

This latest development marks a change in Hamas' stance. Previously, Hamas had always refused to meet Israel's demands regarding information about the hostages.

According to the Israeli military, about 40 of the 100 hostages still being held in Gaza have been killed. In addition, Hamas also wants Israel to release hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons on security-related charges.