Iran’s Foreign Minister claims Hamas is ready to release civilian hostages held in Gaza
- Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the release of 6,000 Palestinians was a necessity
Hamas is ready to release civilian hostages being held captive in Gaza, an Iranian politician claimed yesterday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Hamas had told its supporters in Tehran that it was ready to hand over the hostages captured in Israel.
Gunmen have seized 224 hostages and released only four so far. Hamas leaders claim ‘nearly fifty’ have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Mediators in Qatar have held talks over their release and a negotiator said progress had been made in recent days.
Dr. Mohammed Al Khulaifi, Qatar’s foreign minister, said negotiators were working towards the release of all civilian hostages, although he declined to say whether a release was imminent.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Hamas had told them it was ready to extradite hostages captured in Israel
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry previously confirmed that the talks would include negotiations on a possible prisoner swap.
Mr Amir-Abdollahian told a UN general assembly that Hamas had spoken to Iran about a possible release.
He said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to play its role in this very important humanitarian endeavor, together with Qatar and Turkey.
“Of course, the release of the 6,000 Palestinian prisoners is another necessity and responsibility of the world community.”
Earlier, Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri told Hezbollah’s al-Manar television channel that Israeli hostages would be exchanged for Hamas fighters.
His comments followed a 2011 deal between Israel and Hamas to release a captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian and Arab-Israeli prisoners.
Russian news agencies also reported that a Hamas delegation arrived in Moscow yesterday for talks on the release of hostages, including several Russian citizens
Meanwhile, Russian news agencies reported that a Hamas delegation arrived in Moscow yesterday for talks on the release of the hostages, including several Russian citizens. Senior Hamas official Abu Marzouk is said to be among those present.
The four hostages released so far are an American mother and her daughter, and two elderly Israeli women.
One of the women, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, described being dragged through a “spider’s web of tunnels.”
The fate of the hostages has proven to be a difficult challenge for Israeli military leaders as they plan air strikes and a possible ground attack on Gaza. Hamas said airstrikes have killed “nearly fifty” hostages so far, although it provided no further information and it was not possible to verify its claim.