CAIRO, October 19. /TASS/. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) keeps in touch with the Palestinian Hamas movement and is discussing what will happen next with the hostages taken by radicals during an operation on Israeli territory and moved to the Gaza Strip, a representative of the humanitarian organization told the Sky News Arabia TV channel.

"We (Red Cross staff - TASS) are in contact with Hamas to solve the problem of hostages in Gaza," he said.

The representative noted that ICRC staff are currently "using the organization's reserves in the Gaza Strip, but it is not clear how long these will last." He believes that "the humanitarian problems facing the Palestinian enclave require a comprehensive approach and a long-term plan to address them."

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said earlier that the confirmed number of hostages held in the Gaza Strip has reached 203, and this figure is not final. At the same time, Hisham Qassem, a member of Hamas' leadership abroad, said this was a chance for the movement to secure the release of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.