"Hamas: Hostage Release Not Possible Until Ceasefire Agreement"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Palestinian armed group Hamas, engaged in war with Israel, stated that releasing hostages is impossible until a ceasefire agreement is reached.

Abu Hamid, a Hamas delegation member visiting Russia, said in an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant on the 27th (local time), "It will take time to find all the hostages in Gaza," conveying this position.

According to Israel's announcement, the number of hostages captured and taken to Gaza during Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on the 7th reached 229. Amid international demands for the release of hostages, Hamas has only freed four female hostages.

Hamid stated, "A calm environment is necessary to complete the operation of locating the hostages in Gaza, so a ceasefire must be a prerequisite," adding, "Due to Israeli bombings, 50 hostages have died so far."

The Hamas delegation arrived in Moscow, Russia, the previous day and held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to discuss the Gaza issue. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the Hamas delegation discussed the release of hostages detained in Gaza and the rescue of Russian and other foreign nationals. Deputy Minister Bogdanov also met with Hamas leadership in Qatar last week to exchange views on the hostage issue. Kommersant reported that Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, also likely raised the hostage issue during his meeting with Deputy Minister Bogdanov in Moscow the previous day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.