No deal yet on return of hostages from Gaza - Netanyahu
SECURITY: ISRAEL-PALESTINE-GAZA-HOSTAGES-1
/Updates with more details/
TEL AVIV, November 18. /TASS/. No agreements on the hostage release from the Gaza Strip have been reached yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
"As for the hostages, there are lots of baseless rumors and lots of inaccurate publications, but I want to make it clear that as of now, there is no deal. However, I promise that when we have something to tell you, we will update you," he told a press conference.
In response to a follow-up question about the chances to negotiate the hostage release, Netanyahu said that Israel side had not received any meaningful proposals.
"There was no proposal and there was no tangible deal. I cannot delve into details. We want to have the abducted people returned. We go to great lengths to have back as many of them as possible, even if it takes a few stages," the prime minister said.
Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.
ТАСС 18.11.2023, 23:30 MSK