CNN Indonesia
Friday, 27 Oct 2023 21:40 IWST
The moment the Hamas militia released two elderly Israeli citizens who were hostages. Photo: AFP/OREN ZIV
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Militia Hamas said he would not release the hostages Israel which they are holding, until there is an agreement on a ceasefire.
Reported Al Jazeerathis statement was made by a Hamas official named Abu Hamid during a visit to the Russian capital, Moscow, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
Hamid said Hamas needed time to find all the people who had been brought to Gaza by various Palestinian factions, during the surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
According to Hamid, the militia had announced its intention to free “civilian prisoners” since the first days of the war.
“Hundreds of citizens and dozens of militias from various Palestinian factions entered the occupied territory in 1948, and arrested dozens of people. Most of them were civilians,” said Hamid.
He said, “We need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then release them.”
He even said that Israeli air strikes in Gaza had killed 50 hostages.
Previously, Israel claimed that more than 200 people had been held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
Monday this week, Hamas released two elderly Israeli civilians from Gaza. Last week two hostages with dual US-Israeli citizenship were also released by Hamas.
The mediation effort to release the hostages is said to be led by Egypt and Qatar.
(dna)
2023-10-27 14:40:21
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