On 16th October (Monday), the Iranian Foreign Ministry claimed that Hamas ‘potentially’ was ready to release the nearly 200 Israeli and other foreign nationals it has held hostage if Israel stops airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reported. However, the terrorist group, Hamas hasn’t acknowledged making such an offer.
The Spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Nasser Kanaani made this statement while addressing a news conference in Tehran. It is important to note that Iran is considered the main sponsor of Hamas in its ‘fight’ against Israel.
According to Kanaani, Hamas officials stated that they are ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistance groups, but their point was that such measures require preparations that are impossible under daily bombardment in Gaza.
As per media reports, Hamas has stated that it will trade the captives for thousands of Palestinians held by Israel in the kinds of lopsided exchange deals that have been made in the past.
Referring to the Hamas terrorist group as ‘resistance’, Kanaani said, “We heard from the resistance that they have no problem to continue resisting. They said the resistance holds the military capability to continue resisting in the field for a long time.”
However, Iran gave a warning to Israel that it could also enter the war if Israel launches a widely anticipated ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in the coming days.
It has been widely reported that the Lebanese Shiite terror outfit Hezbollah, which is also sponsored by Iran, has already launched missiles into Israel. On its part, Hezbollah has insisted that these missiles represent a “warning” for Israel rather than its full entry into the war, as per media reports.
199 hostages have been held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists
Updating about the Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli military said on 16th October (Monday) that it has notified the families of 199 people so far that their loved ones are among those who have been held hostages in the Gaza Strip after they were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the 7th October surprise attack.
IDF notifies relatives of 199 people that their loved ones are Gaza hostages https://t.co/JWLLq0Jkqk . Click to read ⬇️
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) October 16, 2023
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari asserted that the military has some information on the whereabouts of hostages being held in Gaza. In response to a question at a press conference, Hagari said, “We are making valiant efforts to try to understand where the hostages are in Gaza, and we have such information. We will not carry out an attack that would endanger our people.”
Though the majority of the Israeli and foreign hostages are being held by Hamas terrorists, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has also claimed that it is holding 30 hostages of its own, as reported by the Times of Israel.
On 15th October (Sunday) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with representatives of the families whose relatives have been held hostages by Hamas. During the meeting, he vowed to work for the safe return of hostages as soon as possible.
The meeting was held at an IDF Home Front Command base in Ramle. After the meeting, a statement from the families read, “Netanyahu told the families that one of the goals of the war is the return of the captive and missing.”
