Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday offered a $5 million reward for each hostage released from Gaza.
He also promised that anyone who helps Israel free the hostages will receive assistance in leaving the besieged Palestinian area.
“To those who want to leave this entanglement, I say: whoever brings us a hostage will find a safe way out for himself and his family. We will also give $5 million for each hostage,” Netanyahu said during a brief visit to the Palestinian Authority. territory, his office said.
“The choice is yours, but the result will be the same: we will bring them all back.”
An earlier offer of this nature was dismissed as a farce by Hamas, an Islamic militant group backed by Iran. The group said the remaining hostages would only be released as part of an agreement to end the war, lift the blockade and reconstruct the strip.
Of the approximately 250 people abducted from Israel during the Hamas massacres on October 7, 2023, approximately 100 are still being held in the Gaza Strip, although many of them may no longer be alive. Some relatives of the hostages accuse Netanyahu of blocking a release deal to keep the war going and maintain his grip on power.
Netanyahu also said that Hamas would not rule the Gaza Strip under any circumstances in the future.
The Israeli Prime Minister visited the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza, which separates the north of Gaza from the south and is an important supply route for the Israeli forces.
The Israeli army kills three gunmen near Jenin
The Israeli army killed three gunmen during an attack in the northern West Bank, it confirmed on Tuesday.
Palestinian and Israeli media reported that Israeli forces shot at a house in a village near the city of Jenin, where wanted Palestinians were believed to be hiding, to drive them out of the building.
The Health Ministry in Ramallah said the three men killed were between 24 and 32 years old. It was initially unclear whether they were members of a militant group.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) later said the three men were members of the organization.
Palestinian media reported that the Israeli army had been operating in the city of Jenin itself since Tuesday morning. Palestinian news agency WAFA reported violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the city, considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians.
