TEL AVIV, Nov. 19 (TASS) – Israel is ready to pay $5 million for every hostage that is freed from the hands of Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said while touring the Gaza Strip.

"I am telling those [Palestinians] who want to get out of this situation: anyone who hands over a hostage to us, we will ensure a safe exit. To him and his family. We will also offer a remuneration of $5 million for each hostage released. The choice is in your hands, but the result will be the same. We will bring everyone home," he said in a video address released by his office.

He once again stressed that Israel is set to uproot all Hamas structures in the Palestinian enclave. "There will be no Hamas in Gaza any longer. Anyone who dares to harm our hostages will pay with their life. We will hunt you down and we will get you," he warned.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.

According to the latest data from the Israeli side, radicals are still holding 101 hostages.

Photo from AP