Direct talks between Israel and Hamas are impossible, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi told the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"There are not and cannot be any direct talks between Israel and Hamas because our position is very simple: All hostages must be released without conditions. They are civilians. Unfortunately, we don’t have any information on what is happening to them," he said.
Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 after militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border communities and taking people, including women, children and the elderly, hostage. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and launched ground operations in the enclave, also carrying out air strikes on targets in the Strip, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.