NNA - A senior Hamas official said on Sunday that several of the six Israeli hostages found dead in a Gaza tunnel had been "approved" for release in the event of a truce deal.

"Some of the names of the captives announced as found by the (Israeli) occupier... were part of the list of hostages to be released that Hamas had approved" in a proposed exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

AFP