Hamas says ready to release some foreign hostages held in Gaza

GAZA -- The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said on Tuesday that it is ready to release, within a few days, some hostages with foreign nationalities it is holding in Gaza.

"We informed the mediators officially that we will release a number of them in the coming days as we no longer need to detain them," Abu Obaida, spokesperson of the brigades, said in a brief recorded conference press, adding that "some countries intervened through mediators to free some detainees with foreign nationalities."

Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct 7, firing thousands of rockets and seizing many hostages in Israeli territory. Israel says about 240 hostages are still in Gaza.

Hamas has released four hostages, including two Americans and two Israelis, in two separate moves aided by Qatari and Egyptian mediation. However, efforts to negotiate a larger hostage swap have stalled.

Hamas has been asking Israel to free thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining hostages. Israel has dismissed the demand, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting that a ground offensive in Gaza may increase the chances of securing the hostages' release.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also rejected calls for a ceasefire to facilitate the hostages' release. He faces growing pressure to free the hostages, as the Israeli army is conducting an intense offensive on the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas.