Hamas has named 34 hostages, some of them believed to have died in captivity, who it says it would return to Israel in the first phase of an evolving if still elusive ceasefire in Gaza. The Palestinian militant group circulated the list to media outlets after Israel sent envoys to Qatar for fresh talks for a pause in the devastating war.

Washington wants to see a ceasefire deal in Gaza concluded and the hostages brought out in the next two weeks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. A renewed push is under way to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas and return Israeli hostages before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Monday for a final push for a Gaza ceasefire before President Joe Biden leaves office, after a Hamas official told Reuters the group had cleared a list of 34 hostages as first to go free under a truce.