MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. There is no progress regarding the release of hostages held by Hamas, but Iran and Qatar are keeping their efforts up, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS.

"Not yet. Both Qatar and Iran are discussing it, they are working. However, no serious talks on hostages are being held, not yet," the ambassador said when asked if the talks on hostages had failed.

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 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.