Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly offering Hamas “millions of dollars” for each remaining hostage kidnapped by the terrorist group during the October 7 attacks.
The country’s military has also pledged to provide safe passage for captors out of Gaza.
More than 60 hostages are believed to be still alive and the bodies of another 35 held by Hamas.
Among those who have not yet returned home is Emily Damari, 28, a dual British-Israeli national, who was forcibly removed from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel.
According to an Israeli official, the kidnappers and their families would receive immunity from capture or punishment, and the government would pay millions for the return of its citizens after almost 400 days since they were kidnapped. The telegraph information.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly offering Hamas “millions of dollars” for each remaining hostage kidnapped by the terrorist group during the October 7 attacks.
Hundreds of people took to the streets to demand the return of the hostages in a march through Tel Aviv on Tuesday night.
The mother of a hostage at the march said: ‘Gallant’s firing sends a clear message: there is no one left to stop the hostage deal from failing; It’s time to go out on the street’
Netanyahu’s announcement of a deal to pay Hamas “millions of dollars” for the return of each hostage came as he revealed the departure of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The announcement of the initiative came just as news broke Tuesday night that Netanyahu had fired his defense minister over a breach of trust during the Gaza war against Hamas.
‘In recent months that trust has eroded. In view of this, today I have decided to terminate the mandate of the Defense Minister,” the prime minister said in a statement issued by his office.
Yoav Gallant, who only returned to the position in April after being fired last March, will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the office said.
Hundreds of people took to the streets to demand the return of the hostages in a march through Tel Aviv when the decision became known, Haaretz information.
The mother of one hostage said: ‘Gallant’s firing sends a clear message: there is no one left to prevent the failure of the hostage deal; “It’s time to go out into the street.”
Netanyahu had discussed a deal of “millions of dollars” for each hostage at a security cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli broadcaster Keshet 12 revealed.
There has yet to be a response from Hamas to the initiative, which comes just hours after the group rejected the latest ceasefire proposal.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday that his nation had proposed a two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four Israeli hostages with some Palestinian prisoners.
The plan was aimed at getting Israel and Hamas to agree to a cessation of fighting for less than a month in the hope that it would lead to a more permanent ceasefire.
More than 60 hostages are believed to be still alive and the bodies of another 35 held by Hamas. Among those who have not yet returned home is Emily Damari, 28, a dual British-Israeli national, who was forcibly removed from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023.
Diplomats and representatives from the United States, Qatar and Egypt have been leading multiple negotiations to end the war, which broke out after Hamas terrorists stormed southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to official Israeli figures.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Israel’s retaliation campaign in Gaza is approaching 43,000, Gaza health officials say, with the densely populated enclave in ruins.
After receiving news on Monday that the ceasefire proposal had been rejected, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that Hamas had “once again refused to release even a limited number of hostages.” to secure a ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza.” ‘
Speaking to AFP, Hamas head Taher al Nunu said that a “temporary pause in the war, to then resume aggression, is something on which we have already expressed our position.” Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”
Hamas has repeatedly said it will only release the hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas says those demands have not changed following last month’s killing of its top leader Yahya Sinwaras the United States, Egypt and Qatar continue their efforts to restart negotiations.
Meanwhile, an Israeli official predicted a “renewed push” to come up with a deal to secure the hostages after the US election, Ynet reports.
