TEL AVIV, October 29. /TASS/. Relatives of hostages held by the radical Palestinian movement Hamas have asked the Israeli government not to take any actions that could harm their family members, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The newspaper quotes the words of the mother of the girl kidnapped on October 7, who voiced the demand of the hostages' relatives at a rally after their meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We demand that no action be taken that will jeopardize the fate of our family members and that every action be taken with their well-being in mind," she said.

According to the Jerusalem Post, those who attended the rally also advocated that the Israeli government consider exchanging all hostages held in Gaza for all captured Hamas militants.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking more than 200 hostages, including children, women and the elderly. Hamas 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 has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.