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Hamas lists 34 hostages it may free under ceasefire

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More than 250 people were taken hostage in Hamas's attack in 2023 [BBC]

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 of those named remain alive. All but two were captured during Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

The ages of those on the list range from just one year old to 86. It also includes children who Hamas previously said had been killed in an Israeli air strike.

A number of hostages who Hamas says are sick are also on the list.

The Israeli prime minister’s office denied reports that Hamas had provided Israel with a list of hostages.

“The list of hostages published in the media was not passed on to Israel by Hamas, but was originally passed from Israel to intermediaries as early as July 2024,” it said. “To date, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment from Hamas regarding the status of the abductees on the list.”

British Israeli Emily Damari, who was shot and taken from kibbutz Kfar Azar on 7 October, is among the names on the list. The 28-year-old is one of five civilian women named alongside five female surveillance soldiers.

They include 19 year old Liti Albag, who appeared in a video posted by Hamas at the weekend, in which she was seen urging her government to make a deal.

Also on the list are two brothers – Kfir Bibas, a one-year-old approaching his second birthday, and 5-year-old Ariel – who were taken hostage along with their parents. Hamas has previously said the children were killed in an Israeli air strike.

Two Israelis held in Gaza for around a decade are also among the 34 names. They are Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab who was seized in 2015, and Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu, who was reportedly suffering from mental health issues and was taken captive after crossing into Gaza a year earlier.

Families of hostages said in a statement that they were “deeply shaken and distressed” by the list.

“The time has come for a comprehensive agreement that will bring back all hostages – we know more than half are still alive and need immediate rehabilitation, while those who were murdered must be returned for proper burial. We have no more time to waste. A hostage ceasefire agreement must be sealed now!”

Hamas’s decision to release the names of hostages will be seen by some as an attempt to increase public pressure on the Israeli government.

Ceasefire negotiations resumed in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend, but the talks do not appear to have made significant progress yet.

A Hamas official told the Reuters news agency any agreement to return Israeli hostages would depend on a deal for Israel to withdraw from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire or end to the war. “However, until now, the occupation continues to be obstinate over an agreement over the issues of the ceasefire and withdrawal, and has made no step forward,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Israel and Hamas have consistently accused each other of obstructing progress towards a ceasefire deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Seoul on Monday that he was “confident that a deal will get its completion at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later”, though he conceded it might happen after Joe Biden leaves office on 20 January.

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage in the unprecedented attack, which triggered a massive Israeli military campaign in Gaza. A hundred and five of the hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in November 2023. Fifty other hostages have been released, rescued or their bodies recovered.

At least 45,805 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says.

Reports from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry say Israeli air strikes killed more than 100 people there at the weekend.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its air force had attacked more than 100 “terrorist” sites across the Gaza Strip over the weekend, killing dozens of Hamas fighters.

The names on the list of hostages provided by Hamas:

Romi Gonen (24); Emily Damari (28); Arbel Yehoud (29); Doron Steinbrecher (31); Ariel Bibas (5); Kfir Bibas (1); Shiri Silberman Bibas (33); Liri Albag (19); Karina Ariev (20); Agam Berger (20); Daniel Gilboa (20); Naama Levy (20); Ohad Ben-Ami (55); Gad Moshe Moses (80); Keith Shmuel Siegel (65); Offer Kaldaron (53); Eliyahu Sharabi (52); Itzhak Elgaret (69); Shlomo Mansur (86); Ohad Yahalomi (50); Yousef Yousef Alziadna (54); Oded Lifshitz (84); Tsachi Idan (50); Hisham al-Sayed (36); Yarden Bibas (35); Sagi Dekel Chen (36); Iair Horn (46); Omer Wenkert (23); Alexandre Troufanov (28); Eliya Cohen (27); Or Levy (34); Avera Mengistu (38); Tal Shoham (39); Omer Shem Tov (21).

AFP Women mourn relatives who were killed by Israeli bombardment outside the Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on 5 January, 2025
Women mourn relatives killed by Israeli bombardment outside the Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, on Sunday [BBC]


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Sun directly overhead Bentota, Thiniyawala, Iththakanda, Udawalawe, and Kataragama about 12.08 noon t9day (06)

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The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from  28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is
overhead today (06) are Bentota, Thiniyawala, Iththakanda, Udawalawe, and Kataragama about 12.08 noon

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Tharanga creates history with Diamond League crown in Brussels

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(File pic)

‎Rumesh Tharanga created history in emphatic fashion, winning the men’s javelin at the Diamond League Final in Brussels to become the country’s first Diamond League champion.

‎The recently crowned Commonwealth champion sealed the prestigious Diamond Trophy with a superb third-round throw of 89.04 metres, producing yet another major performance on the biggest stage.

Tharanga became the first Sri Lakan to win a top position at a global competition conducted under the auspice of World Athletics.

‎The victory also extended Tharanga’s extraordinary run of form, giving him his 12th victory in his last 13 competitions. His only defeat during that sequence came earlier in the season, underlining the consistency that has made him one of the outstanding performers in world javelin this year.

‎Tharanga’s winning effort was enough to keep a determined international field at bay, with Poland’s Dawid Wegner producing a lifetime best of 87.47m to take the silver medal. Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott completed the podium in third place.

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UAE keep semi-final hopes alive after convincing win over Indonesia

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Five different UAE bowlers took wickets on Friday evening (Asian Cricket Council)

A complete performance from UAE’s bowling unit kept their semi-final hopes alive at the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup,  skittling Indonesia  for 73 and then completing the chase with six wickets to spare. They now have to beat Bangladesh on September 8 and also hope other results go their way.

UAE were on top right from the first ball courtesy offspinner Suraksha Kotte,  who starred with 3 for 16. Kotte struck with the first two balls of the innings, dismissing Indonesia opener Maria Corazon and No. 3 Ni Luh Dewi for first-ball ducks. UAE captain Esha Oza (2 for 11) then dismissed the other opener Rahmawati Pangestuti in the fourth over.

Indonesia captainN8 Puu Ayu Nanda Sakarini  top-scored with a lone hand of 39 off 52 balls, with four fours and a six, accounting for 53.4% of Indonesia’s runs. But with little support, they could not find a way back in and were bowled out for 73.

Slow left-arm spinner Heena Hotchandani (2 for 6) and seamer Samaira Dharnidharka (1 for 12) also got among the wickets. Legspinner Vaishnave Mahesh struck twice in the 20th over to clean up the tail.

UAE openers Theertha Satish and Oza put on 17 for the first wicket. After losing Theertha in the fifth over, Oza hit two boundaries in each of the sixth and eighth overs. No. 3 Rinitha Rajith then hit three fours off Sofia Velic in the ninth over.

A brief wobble followed for UAE as they slid from 62 for 1 to 68 for 4. Oza fell for a 29-ball 30 at the start of the 11th over to Ni Ariani and Velic grabbed two wickets in the 12th. However, with only six runs needed, UAE wrapped up the chase at the start of the 14th over, the tournament hosts securing two points with 41 balls to spare. This was also Indonesia’s final match of the campaign, bowing out with losses in all three games.

Scores:

UAE Women 75 for 4 8n 13.1 overs  (Esha Oza 30, Rinitha Rajith 22; Ni Riani 1-10, Sang Maypriani 1-17,  Sofia Velic 2-25) beat IndonesiaWomen  73 in 19.4 overs (N8 Putu Ayu  Nanda Sakarini 39, Desi Wulandari 12; Suraksha  Kotte 3-16, Heena  Hotchandani 2-06, Esha  Oza 2-11, Samira Dharnidarkha 1-12 ) by six wickets

(Cricinfo)

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