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Middle East conflict

Palestinian authorities call on Hamas to release hostages — ambassador to Russia

The most important thing now is to stop the war and give people an opportunity to live normally, to release civilians who were taken hostage by Hamas and Israel, Abdel Hafiz Nofal said

MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. Palestine’s authorities have called on Hamas to release hostages, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS.

"[Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas has already released a statement calling for halting hostilities so that assistance, water and electricity can come in and Hamas can release the civilians they took [hostage], and Israel can do the same. I think that Qatar, the Egyptians, and the Palestinian authorities, as well as the US authorities, all of them are working to make this happen," he said. "The most important thing now is to stop the war and give people an opportunity to live normally, to release civilians who were taken hostage by Hamas and Israel."

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas militants took at least 199 Israeli nationals hostage. Many of them are citizens of other countries.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. 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. More than 2,800 Palestinians have been killed and around 10,900 others injured. In Israel, at least 1,500 people have lost their lives and almost 4,000 have been wounded.

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Foreign policy Israel

Middle East conflict

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