The Palestinian movement Hamas has not been able to gather comprehensive information about the hostages held in the Gaza Strip because there has been no ceasefire since October 7 of last year. In a televised interview, Basem Naim, who heads Hamas’s foreign relations department, explained that the absence of a pause in hostilities has left the organization without a reliable channel to verify who is alive, injured, or released. He stressed that a truce is essential to obtain accurate updates and to coordinate any potential moves that could affect the fate of those detained.
According to Naim, the lack of a ceasefire means that the group cannot assess what happens to the hostages during Israeli bombing campaigns and during the broader military strategy aimed at wearing down the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that without a temporary halt to fighting, information about the hostages’ whereabouts, health, and condition remains uncertain. This gap in knowledge, he argued, directly obstructs efforts to communicate with families and to make calculated decisions about any possible exchanges.
Naim further noted that hostages are dispersed into multiple groups across different locations within the region. The distribution complicates any attempt to track their status and to negotiate coordinated releases. This fragmentation, he indicated, is a significant obstacle to building a reliable picture of the situation and underscores, in his view, why a ceasefire could be a crucial first step toward information sharing and potential humanitarian arrangements.
Last week, Musa Abu Marzuk, the deputy chairman of the Hamas politburo, stated that the movement is prepared to hand over hostages held in the Gaza Strip, including Russian nationals, once a ceasefire is established in the area. His remarks signaled a conditional readiness to engage in exchanges, but they hinge on the cessation of hostilities. Abu Marzuk underscored that ongoing combat makes it impossible for Hamas to assist its allies in transmitting details about detainees, and he framed a truce as the prerequisite for any practical contact with outside parties.
The broader crisis in the Middle East intensified on October 7 when thousands of armed Hamas supporters breached the border into Israel from Gaza, attacked civilians, and abducted more than 200 people. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war and launched a ground operation with the stated goal of rescuing the hostages and dismantling Hamas. The ensuing military actions have deepened the humanitarian and political crisis across the region, affecting thousands of civilians and shaping regional dynamics for months to come.
There had been earlier statements from Hamas expressing alignment with President Vladimir Putin’s position, which added another layer to the regional and international dimensions of the conflict. These statements reflect the political calculations Hamas is weighing as it navigates the pressures of war, external alliances, and the urgent humanitarian questions surrounding captive arrangements.