"No one knows how many of the Israeli hostages taken by the Hamas group are still alive", Osama Hamdan, a member of the political wing of Hamas, told CNN, as quoted by Focus.
"I have no idea about that. "Nobody has the slightest idea about it," Hamdan said in response to a question from American journalists.
For his part, Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz said Israel knows how many hostages in Gaza are still alive.
"We know a close enough number,", he commented in response to the same question.
CNN notes that the fate of the 120 hostages who remain in Gaza is "crucial" for any agreement on Gaza. Hamdan emphasizes that the key for Hamas is the final cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.
He notes that Hamas fears that "the Israelis want a ceasefire for just six weeks and then they will go back to war.
Various media outlets note that the US, Egypt and Qatar are still trying to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire under a scheme presented by US President Joe Biden.
A day earlier, Hamas said it had "demonstrated the necessary positivity at all stages of the negotiations" to reach a "comprehensive and acceptable settlement based on the just demands of his people".