Dropped over the Gaza Strip
Israel’s army searches for hostages with leaflets
October 24, 2023, 4:26 p.m
Gaza residents who disagree with Hamas terror could now reveal hostage hiding places. Israel’s army drops leaflets to this effect. At the same time, it guarantees confidentiality and a reward. Meanwhile, the ground offensive could be postponed for a few more days.
Israel has dropped leaflets over the Gaza Strip asking for information on the whereabouts of hostages held by Hamas and offering a reward. “If you live in peace and want a better future for your children, be humane and share reliable and useful information about hostages in your area,” the paper said. “The Israeli military assures it will do everything in its power to ensure your safety.” There is also a promise of financial reward and confidentiality. Telephone numbers are provided on the leaflet to pass on information.
At the same time, according to a report, the Israeli government is ready to postpone the ground offensive. This should enable talks on the release of a large number of hostages who were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Axios portal, citing two Israeli representatives. Israel’s army said it was reviewing the report.
Condition: All women and children must be released
The prerequisite for this to come about is the release of all women and children. The report goes on to say that the ground offensive could then be postponed for a few days. The Israeli army does not want to give up its general plans for the ground offensive even if a deal is reached. According to the representatives mentioned, a deal will no longer be possible after the ground offensive begins.
According to the army, at least 220 hostages are still in the hands of Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Two women were released on Friday and Monday. According to the report, Hamas initially demanded a six-hour ceasefire for the hostages released on Monday. However, Israel rejected this in order not to set a precedent. The country therefore feared that Hamas would otherwise be able to demand a ceasefire every time it released two hostages. The Israelis fear that the ceasefire period could be used by Hamas to regroup and move between hiding places.