Politics Israel's Chief of General Staff: fighting continues without agreement
Israeli Chief of General Staff Ejal Zamir expects that it will become clear in the coming days "whether we can reach an agreement on the release of our hostages." He said this during a visit to troops in the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, the fighting against the Islamist Hamas, which is holding hostages, would continue without pause. "The war continues and we will adapt it to the changing reality according to our interests," said Zamir.
01.08.2025, 20:03
SDA
According to official Israeli information, 50 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, at least 20 of whom are still alive. The relatives in particular fear that a continuation of the war will threaten the lives of their loved ones and worsen conditions for them.
Islamist Hamas published a new video on Friday showing one of the hostages. A sister of the man appealed to the media not to publish the recording until the family gave their consent. Seeing the condition of her brother was like "a million blows to the heart", she was quoted as saying on the news portal "ynet". Israel accuses Hamas of psychological warfare with the publication of hostage videos.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas terrorists and other Islamists killed around 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others from Israel to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, tens of thousands of people were killed. There is now a threat of famine in the Gaza Strip.
