NEW YORK, October 23. /TASS/. The Hamas movement may release about 50 dual-nationals held in the Gaza Strip, the New York Times reported, citing a senior Israeli military official.

According to the paper, the official said that "based on conversations the United States has had with Qatar, there is a possibility that Hamas could release the approximately 50 dual-nationals separate from any broader deal."

CNN reported earlier that the US had pressured Israel to postpone its ground operation in Gaza and ensure the release of hostages.

The Israeli army says it has information about 222 people being held hostage by Hamas.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said on October 21 that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, the country’s prime minister and top diplomat, had held a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss ways to release the Gaza hostages. The ministry said that Sheikh Mohammed "affirmed the State of Qatar's continued coordination with the United States of America and international partners to release prisoners and reduce the escalation in the Gaza Strip."

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement 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 started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.