On Monday, the Israeli authorities issued a decision to “continue the aerial bombardment on the Gaza Strip, even if it leads to harming the hostages, unless accurate information arrives about their whereabouts.”
The decision comes at a time when an Israeli official denied reports about the possibility of a prisoner exchange between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said, “There are no ongoing negotiations.”
On the other hand, Hossam Badran, a member of the Hamas political bureau, confirmed on Monday that “there is no place currently” to negotiate with Israel about a prisoner exchange in light of the continuing “military operation” against the Hebrew state.
Badran said in a statement from Doha, “The military operation is still continuing, and the resistance led by the Al-Qassam Brigades continues to defend our people, and therefore there is currently no room for negotiation on the issue of prisoners or anything else.”
The Israeli army announced that it was working to rescue Israelis held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad since the attack on Saturday. The government press office explained that Hamas kidnapped at least 100 people. Hamas and Islamic Jihad confirmed that they captured “many soldiers.”
About 800 people have been killed in Israel since the start of the Hamas attack, according to what the Israeli army announced at dawn on Monday.
#Israeli #decision #continue #bombing #Gaza #leads #harming #hostages
2023-10-09 16:45:12
