MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Hamas may release foreign hostages, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS.

"There was information that Hamas may release foreigners, but we do not know how and when," he said.

On October 27, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari said the number of hostages held in Gaza was at least 229.

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 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. On October 27, Hagari announced the expansion of the military ground operation in Gaza.