The Palestinian movement, Hamas, has agreed to release hostages on the condition that Israel ceases its bombardment of Gaza, according to the Financial Times. The group states that it cannot release the captives while the bombings continue and requires a temporary halt in Israeli airstrikes to safely free them.
Previously, Marina Ryazanova, the spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in Israel, stated that at least one Russian citizen, who also holds Israeli citizenship, is being held hostage by the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On October 7th, Hamas forces launched thousands of rockets into Israeli territory and declared the start of the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. Thousands of militants infiltrated Israeli territory, capturing dozens of military vehicles and over a hundred hostages. Against this backdrop, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country was in a state of war.
The Israeli Defense Forces’ counter-operation is named “Iron Swords,” with the destruction of Hamas being one of its main objectives. The Israeli Air Force has conducted strikes on hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the region. On October 13th, Israel informed the United Nations that 1.1 million Palestinians must evacuate to the south of Gaza within 24 hours in anticipation of a ground operation in the area.
Earlier, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, promised that the Gaza Strip would remember the “unprecedented response” for the next 50 years.
