Israel would consider another Gaza ceasefire to get back hostages
- An Israeli government spokesman said securing the release of those seized by Hamas remains an aim of the war, alongside destroying the Islamist militant group
- During the seven-day ceasefire that ended December 1, Hamas returned 110 of the more than 240 people taken during October 7 attack
Israel would consider another short-term ceasefire if an agreement can be reached with Hamas to return more of its 137 hostages still in captivity.
Securing the release of all those seized by Hamas and other armed groups on October 7 remains an aim of the war alongside destroying the Islamist militant group, Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman, said on Tuesday.
“A temporary pause to get them out” would be considered, he told the Jerusalem Press Club.
During the seven-day ceasefire that ended December 1, Hamas returned 110 of the more than 240 people taken when its militants swarmed out of Gaza and killed about 1,200 people. In exchange, about three times as many Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel.
The ceasefire came to end, Israel said, when Hamas reneged on an agreement to return all women and children. Hamas, which is classified as a terror group by the US and European Union, still holds 20 women, two boys and 115 men, Israel has said. It’s unclear if all of them are alive.
Qatar – which helped broker the last halt to fighting – said it’s working to secure a fresh pause. That shouldn’t be seen as a “an alternative to a permanent ceasefire,” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in Doha.
Levy also defended Israel’s record in protecting civilians, as criticism mounts over its air strikes and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, in which almost 16,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
