As Israeli and Hamas officials resumed indirect talks Monday on a ceasefire and a hostage-release deal, Hamas representatives indicated the group had approved Israel’s list of 34 hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal, conveying a sense of momentum.

But the Israeli government quickly played down any notion that Hamas’s acceptance of the list represented significant progress toward ending the war in Gaza.

Here’s what we know about the hostage list and the state of negotiations, after months of false starts and failed rounds.

What Hamas is saying

A Hamas official briefed on the talks told The New York Times on Monday that if a deal is reached, Hamas agrees to release 34 hostages whose names appear on a list provided by Israel through intermediaries. The representative spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.

The United States has long sought a deal and is trying to facilitate it with the help of Qatar and Egypt, the two main countries mediating between Israel and Hamas.

Reuters news agency reported Sunday evening that Hamas approved the list presented by Israel. The report quoted an unnamed Hamas official as adding that any deal with the hostages was contingent on Israel agreeing to a timetable for withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, in line with Hamas’ long-standing demands.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to openly declare any will to end the war, vowing to eradicate Hamas as a military force and the ruling force in Gaza.

About 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza out of some 250 people who were captured during the October 2023 Hamas-led attack that sparked the war. According to Israel, at least a third of the prisoners are believed to be dead.

A week-long ceasefire in November 2023 allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for around 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel. Israeli forces rescued only a few hostages, while the bodies of dozens of others were found. Israeli soldiers accidentally killed three hostages whom they mistakenly identified as fighters.

Subsequent attempts to reach a ceasefire failed due to gaps in the two sides’ demands, with each side blaming the other for thwarting efforts to reach an agreement.

What Israel says

Israel sent mediators in July 2024 an initial list of hostages to be released in the first phase of any deal, according to a statement released by Netanyahu’s office on Monday.

But the list has since been updated as three of those who originally appeared on it – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a US-Israeli dual citizen, and two Israeli women, Carmel Gat and Eden Yerushalmi – killed by their captors at the end of August. A more recent version of the list was the BBC announced on Monday, and it seems that the office of Mr. Netanyahu confirmed its authenticity.

In this latest round of negotiations, Israel asked Hamas for information on which hostages remained alive. Without that, Israeli officials say, there can be no agreement on how many Palestinian prisoners Israel would be willing to release in exchange for them.

“So far, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment from Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, adding, “Israel will continue to work relentlessly for the return of all our hostages.”

A Hamas official who spoke to The Times said the group would not give Israel details about the status of the 34 hostages on the list without getting something in return.

There are 10 women on the list, five of whom are soldiers; 11 elderly male hostages aged 50 to 85; two young children whom Hamas previously said were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but whose deaths have not been confirmed by Israeli authorities; and other male hostages whose release Israel considers urgent.

In addition to Israel’s request for information on the status of the hostages, other points of contention remain in the negotiations, according to Israeli and Hamas officials. An Israeli official familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to discuss the talks publicly, said on Monday that talks were progressing and that the sides were closer than they had been in recent times. But the official warned that they had been at a similar point before.

Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting from Jerusalem.