Hamas asks Israel to release Palestinian prisoners, Netanyahu says long fight ahead

Hamas has asked Israel to release all the Palestinians held in its jails and said that it was ready to release all the hostages once it’s done.

This demand of Hamas has come amid Israel's massive ground attack in Gaza City. Israel has said that Gaza City has now turned into a "battlefield".

Meanwhile Israel has intensified its ground operation in Gaza. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said that we are ready for an "immediate" prisoner exchange with Israel. "We are ready to immediately carry out a prisoner exchange, which includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages," Sinwar said in a statement.

Israeli Army (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that our army is conducting ground operations in Gaza. In war, big decisions have to be taken to achieve the objective. To achieve great achievements, many times one has to take risks.

Hamas said they were trying to locate eight hostages of Russian-Israeli dual citizenship, whom it had decided to free at Moscow's request. Russia, which has good relations with Hamas, does not consider it a terrorist group, and has begun diplomatic efforts to free hostages in Gaza.

The Israeli army believes that senior Hamas leaders and their main military bases are located in the north, where the IDF has now launched continuous attacks. Let us tell you that a few days ago Israel had asked ordinary citizens to leave Northern Gaza and go to the South.

Israeli army attacks on Gaza Strip have intensified. The Israeli army has claimed to have killed a top Hamas commander and several activists in air strikes. Israel said they had targeted 150 "underground bases" of Hamas. Israeli defense spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops were "still on the ground" and claimed they were fighting a weakened enemy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the second phase of the war against Hamas began with the entry of more ground forces into Gaza on Friday night, The Times of Israel reported. He said Israel's goal is to "defeat the murderous enemy and ensure its survival on its own soil... This war will go on for a long time."