"Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the transatlantic thinktank the Counter Extremism Project, says the situation is .terribly unclear'.

'It's important to note that Islamic Jihad and Hamas don't have a co-operative relationship - they're actually competitors,' he tells Sky News. 'So it's not entirely clear if Hamas can get Islamic Jihad to release any of the hostages it may be holding.

'And it seems it wasn't just them and Hamas involved in the 7 October attack.

'There's been a well-developed smuggling economy in Gaza for decades - long before Hamas took control - organised by networks of crime families.

'So it's possible hostages are neither under the control of Hamas nor Islamic Jihad - but these crime organisations.'"