Israel has launched a ground offensive on Gaza Strip
Hamas today said it is ready to release Israeli hostages if Israel frees all Palestinians held in its prisons. Hamas' demand comes amid Israel's massive ground offensive in Gaza City, which Israel said has now "turned into a battlefield".
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As Israel extended its ground operations in Gaza, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said the group is ready for an "immediate" prisoner swap with Israel. "We are ready to conduct an immediate prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for all prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance," Sinwar said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Hamas said they were trying to locate eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens who were taken hostages in order to free them on Moscow's request. Russia has good relations with Hamas, which it does not consider to be a terror group, and has begun a diplomatic effort to try to free hostages held in Gaza.
Israel today said it was recalling its diplomatic staff from Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at its military campaign in Gaza. "Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey," Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The Israeli military believes the Hamas leadership and its main infrastructure are concentrated in the north, which is where the country has now launched relentless strikes, days after it asked civilians to leave north Gaza and move to the South.
Gaza witnessed intense raids last night with the Israeli army claiming a top Hamas commander and several operatives being killed in air attacks. Israel said that they had hit 150 "underground targets" of the Hamas. Israel Defence spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that the troops were "still in the field" and claimed that they were fighting a weaker enemy.
He also said that aid trucks, carrying food and water, will be allowed into Gaza today. Not only has the region been hit by the Israeli strikes, they are also facing severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicines.
Internet and phone services were also cut off amid the overnight strikes on Friday. Human Rights Watch, an NGO, has expressed concern that a communication blackout risks providing cover for mass atrocities.
A thick haze of smoke covered Gaza and southern Israel after the night of heavy bombardment, according to journalists covering the war.
A BBC journalist described "total chaos" during the night of strikes and in its aftermath. "There was a huge bombardment in the north of Gaza Strip on a scale we've never seen before. At the hospital here, ambulance drivers told me they couldn't communicate with anyone, so they were just driving in the direction of the explosions," wrote Rushdi Abualouf.
Hamas has said that its operatives are ready to confront Israeli attacks with "full force" in Gaza. The Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza had said its operatives were clashing with Israeli troops in areas near the border with Israel.
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