Netanyahu offers $5 million reward for each freed hostage

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that Israel will pay 5 million dollars for each hostage freed from the Gaza Strip and guarantee safety for those who contribute to this effort.

"Whoever brings us a hostage will gain a safe escape route for themselves and their family," assured Netanyahu, addressing those holding the kidnapped individuals.

The Prime Minister of Israel emphasized that those who harm the hostages will be pursued and held accountable. "It is your choice, but the result will be the same—we will free them all," noted the prime minister.

For months, Israelis have been regularly protesting against the government, demanding a ceasefire agreement in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which has lasted for over a year. Part of the agreement involves exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

During the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups murdered nearly 1,200 people and abducted 251. Of the hostages captured on that day, 97 are likely still in the Gaza Strip, many of whom are possibly no longer alive.

Part of the Israeli public has long accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging out negotiations for months for political gain. His far-right coalition partners oppose a ceasefire.

Netanyahu, along with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders, visited soldiers stationed in the central part of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The Prime Minister praised the military for its success in fighting Hamas and once again assured that this organization would not rule the Gaza Strip after the war.

According to the local health ministry, nearly 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive against Hamas. The Gaza Strip is devastated, there is a humanitarian crisis, and most residents have had to flee their homes.