Israel says Hamas has not provided any information about the status of those 34 hostages, dampening any notion that the endorsement is a step toward a deal to stop the war.

Both Israel and Hamas are under pressure from outgoing President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to reach a deal before the Jan. 20 inauguration.

The White House is hoping to see a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas concluded before Joe Biden leaves office, Antony Blinken has said.

As mediators press Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of the remaining 96 hostages held in Gaza, the more than 1 million displaced Palestinians face a dire situation, particularly in northern Gaza.

A British woman is on a Hamas list of hostages approved for release, which has been widely criticised by families in Israel, The Telegraph has learnt.

A senior Hamas official has shared with the BBC a list of 34 hostages that the Palestinian group says it is willing to release in the first stage of a potential ceasefire agreement with Israel. It is unclear how many hostages remain alive.

Israel said Monday that Hamas had not yet provided the status of 34 hostages the group declared it was ready to release in the first phase of a potential exchange deal.Late on Sunday, a senior Hamas official told AFP the group had "agreed to release 34 Israeli prisoners from a list presented by Israel as part of the first phase of a prisoner exchange deal".

Israel said Monday that Hamas had yet to clarify whether 34 hostages it said it was ready to free were dead or alive, throwing doubt on the group's assertion that it needed time to ascertain their fate.