No deal reached yet on hostage release: Netanyahu

Currently no deal has been reached yet on the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a press conference on Saturday night.

Netanyahu denied “incorrect reports” about a deal of releasing part of about 240 hostages held in Gaza is approaching, adding that the Israeli public will be updated if such an agreement is reached.

“All the people of Israel are marching with you,” Netanyahu told the families of hostages, as some of them just completed a five-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, urging the government to do more to secure the release of hostages.

Netanyahu said he invited the representatives of the families to meet his cabinet in the coming days “to clarify how important this issue is to everyone.”

He also vowed Israel will “keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed,” despite growing international pressure to stop the war.

Hamas said Saturday evening that the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have severed its contact with some of its squads “guarding Israeli prisoners.”

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for the Hamas military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a press release that the fate of the prisoners and detainees remained unknown, without providing further details.

Israeli troops have been carrying out attacks on Gaza over the past weeks to retaliate against the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, during which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. 

The ongoing conflict has also killed more than 12,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s government media office.

(With input from Xinhua)