Iran’s Foreign Ministry says that Hamas potentially was ready to release the nearly 200 hostages it is holding if Israel stops its campaign of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The terror group hasn’t acknowledged making such an offer.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaks at a news conference in Tehran. Iran is a main sponsor of Hamas in its fight against Israel.
Hamas officials “stated that they are ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistance groups, but their point was that such measures require preparations that are impossible under daily bombardment by the Zionists against various parts of Gaza,” according to Kanaani.
Hamas has said it will trade the captives for thousands of Palestinians held by Israel in the kind of lopsided exchange deals that have been reached in the past.
“We heard from the resistance that they have no problem to continue resisting,” Kanaani said, referring to Hamas. “They said the resistance holds the military capability to continue resisting in the field for a long time.”
