Iran Claims Hamas Willing to Release 199 Hostages If Air Strikes on Gaza Stop

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the deal would be ‘impossible’ under Israel’s bombardment of various parts of Gaza City.

Smoke rises from buildings, viewed from the Israeli side of the border, as the Israeli military conducts a bombardment in northern Gaza on Oct. 15, 2023. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on Monday that the Hamas terrorist group was “ready” to release all of its hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip if Israel ended its campaign of airstrikes on the coastal enclave.

Speaking at a news conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Hamas members informed him that they’re “ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistant groups,” but added that doing so would be “impossible under daily bombardment by the Zionists against various parts of Gaza.”