Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran has stated that Hamas is ready to release hostages if Israel stops air strikes on the Gaza Strip. This was reported by The Times of Israel.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry official Nasser Kanaani, Hamas representatives "stated that they were ready to take the necessary measures to release citizens and civilians held by resistance groups, but their point of view was that such measures require preparation, which is impossible in the face of daily Zionist bombardment of various parts of Gaza."
Hamas has said it will exchange the prisoners, whose number Israel estimates at 200, for thousands of Palestinian prisoners in one-time exchange deals.
Kanaani also said that Hamas is ready to fight for a long time.
"We heard from the resistance members that they have no problem continuing the resistance. They said that the resistance has the military potential to continue resistance in the field for a long time," the Iranian diplomat said.
