from washington had sent pulses racing among some people, hoping that there may be an imminent agreement for a cease fire, however temporary, between hamas and israel. and the hamas delegation arriving in cairo today for the talks also expressed hope that a deal could be reached. and again, optimism sort of grew, but there were significant obstacles. and anybody covering this story over the last few months will know that often hopes of a ceasefire are dashed by realities on the ground. and one of israel s obstacles and demands that was that hamas should present a detailed list of the hostages who would be released under the terms of any future agreement, of course, in exchange for palestinian prisoners in israeli jails. that list hasn t been provided by hamas. there are thought to be at about 134 hostages held by hamas and other groups in gaza. about 30 of those may actually be dead. and israel wanted to know who was still alive, who was going to be released. that hasn t been