Israel Prepares to Receive Its Last Living Hostages Held by Hamas

Israeli authorities were preparing to receive the last hostages still alive in Gaza, after Hamas told mediators it had

20 living captives in its custody and was ready to begin setting them free.

The message, which the militant group sent to Israel through intermediaries, marked the first time Hamas has confirmed the number of hostages it holds. It also addressed uncertainty about whether Hamas, in its battered and fragmented state, could quickly assemble all the living hostages and pointed to a possibly accelerated timetable for their release.