Hamas could releases three Hungarian hostages

Three of the five Hungarian hostages taken by Hamas are among those who could be released as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement on Gaza, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Zürich on Wednesday.

The Hamas terrorist organisation is holding five people with Hungarian citizenship hostage, Szijjarto said, according to a ministry statement, noting that the government had done everything possible for their release. Hungary is in constant contact with the Israeli task force set up to free the hostages as well as Qatar’s leadership which has been a key mediator, the minister said.

Szijjártó said he had consulted with his Qatari counterpart on Wednesday and thanked him for his role in securing the ceasefire that has made the hostage deal possible.

He said he had asked the Qatari foreign minister for the Gulf country to keep doing everything possible to secure the release of the Hungarian hostages, which he said the minister had assured him they would do.

Szijjártó welcomed the temporary ceasefire agreement, expressing hope that it could lead to other deals that could allow all of the hostages to be freed.