DUBAI, October 16. /TASS/. The Hamas radical movement is ready to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip but Israeli airstrikes are hampering the negotiations, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday.
"Hamas’ representatives told us that they are ready to take necessary measures to release prisoners of war and civilians but this process requires certain preparations, currently impossible due to the Zionistic crimes against Gaza residents," he told a news conference in Tehran.
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.