TEL AVIV, December 5. /TASS/. Israel is seriously committed to signing an agreement that would enable the release of its hostages held in the Gaza Strip, and the deal may be reached soon, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the European Union's newly appointed foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
"There may now be an opportunity to sign a hostage deal. The government of Israel is committed to achieving this goal," Sa’ar was quoted as saying in a statement, released by his ministry’s press service.
He also "requested support on the matter" from Kallas and the European Union in general.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.
In November last year, a humanitarian truce was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, which lasted for a week. During that time, according to Israel, more than 100 hostages were released. On December 1 of the same year, the ceasefire was violated by radicals, hostilities resumed and continue to this day. According to the latest data from Israel, there are still 101 hostages in Gaza.