Israeli opposition leader backs any deal to release captives from Gaza

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid announced his support on Sunday for any deal that leads to the release of prisoners held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This came in a statement by Lapid during his meeting with representatives of the families of Israeli prisoners, according to the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

"The opposition will support every step and every deal, no matter how far-reaching, that leads to the return of the kidnapped," he said.

"We will not say that we would have managed the matter better, but the kidnapped people must return, and it is our duty to return them.”

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "there will be no cease-fire in Gaza without the return of our abductees" from the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army says that 241 of its citizens have been captured in Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a cross-border attack against Israel.

Hamas says it is willing to release prisoners in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat