Hamas set free two more civilian hostages on Monday, but negotiations over a possible release of a group of 50 captives stumbled over the militant group’s demand that Israel allow fuel deliveries into Gaza, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Hamas said it was releasing the two hostages on humanitarian grounds. Egyptian officials confirmed that the two hostages were released at Gaza’s Rafah border crossing. Israeli officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel have been in talks in recent days over a proposal to release a larger group in return for a steady flow of humanitarian aid, including fuel, three officials familiar with the talks said.
Israeli officials have said they want all hostages released before permitting the delivery of fuel. Israeli officials have also told negotiators they believe Hamas and other militant groups could divert fuel for military purposes.
The negotiations have reached an advanced stage, but Israel hasn’t given approval for fuel to be delivered to Gaza via Egypt, according to the three officials.
Hamas, a group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, killed more than 1,400 Israelis in its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Israel’s military said Monday that 222 people abducted that day by Palestinian militants are still being held hostage in Gaza. Israel’s campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in response to the attack has killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, a number that couldn’t be independently verified.