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.

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

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.