Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis against fake news circulating about a potential hostage deal with Hamas, after a false list of hostages to be freed was reported by Israel’s channel 12 and circulated widely.
There was intense interest in the list, which was originally published by a Saudi media outlet. It included the two Bibas family children — and excluded many of those still being held by Hamas. But Israel said it was not authentic.
In a statement published by the Government Press Office and translated from Hebrew, Netanyahu said:
The list of hostages that has been published in the media was not provided to Israel by Hamas but was originally given by Israel to the mediators in July 2024.
As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list.
Israel will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages.
In a briefing with reporters on Monday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said that journalists should not be so quick to believe claims made by Hamas. They should, instead, trust statements by the Israeli government, which “are the statements of a democratic government” that is ultimately accountable to the voters.
To date, Mencer added, “Hamas have not shared with us who is alive, who is dead, or indeed the names” of hostages it proposes to release.
He mocked the idea that Hamas needed a temporary ceasefire to determine the location and condition of the hostages, claiming that Hamas knows exactly where the hostages are, and noting that Gaza is not a large place.
There is speculation that a hostage deal could take place soon — but also speculation that Hamas is digging in its heels and waiting to see if President-elect Donald Trump acts on threats to take action if none of the hostages are released by the time of his Inauguration. There are seven American hostages still in Gaza, three of whom are thought to be alive.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
