Israel offers to pay millions of dollars for release of each hostage

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to offer Hamas hostage-takers in the Gaza Strip millions of dollars for the release of each hostage and a safe withdrawal with their families.

Israeli government sources confirmed the report, broadcast by Channel 12, to dpa.

But Hamas representative Taher al-Nono described the offer as a “farce” in a conversation with dpa and said hostages would only be released with an agreement that would end the war, lift the blockade on Gaza and allow for the reconstruction of the embattled coastal strip.

Of the approximately 250 people abducted from Israel during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, some 100 are still being held in the Gaza Strip, although many are thought to have died.

Their relatives accuse Netanyahu of having blocked an agreement on their release while he in turn blames Hamas.

Some 1,200 people were killed by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks on southern Israeli communities last year. Israel responded by pounding Gaza with airstrikes and launching a ground offensive into the coastal territory, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and turning most of Gaza into ruins.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to offer Hamas hostage-takers in the Gaza Strip millions of dollars for the release of each hostage and a safe withdrawal with their families.

Israeli government sources confirmed the report, broadcast by Channel 12, to dpa.

But Hamas representative Taher al-Nono described the offer as a “farce” in a conversation with dpa and said hostages would only be released with an agreement that would end the war, lift the blockade on Gaza and allow for the reconstruction of the embattled coastal strip.

Of the approximately 250 people abducted from Israel during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, some 100 are still being held in the Gaza Strip, although many are thought to have died.

Their relatives accuse Netanyahu of having blocked an agreement on their release while he in turn blames Hamas.

Some 1,200 people were killed by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks on southern Israeli communities last year. Israel responded by pounding Gaza with airstrikes and launching a ground offensive into the coastal territory, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and turning most of Gaza into ruins.