Sybiha calls on Hamas to surrender and release hostages

Hamas must lay down its arms and release all hostages, said minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha.

"Hamas' inhuman treatment of the Israeli hostages deserves a very strong condemnation. People in Gaza should not remain suffering because of Hamas' heinous crimes. It must lay down its arms and release all hostages immediately," the official wrote.

At the same time, he added, international humanitarian assistance should be provided to civilians in Gaza as soon as possible and in full.

According to Sybiha, the main priority in the war between Hamas and Israel should be a complete ceasefire.

On Saturday, August 2, Hamas published a second video of Israeli hostage Eviyatar David: in the recording, the man looks thin as a skeleton and digs a hole, which he says is intended for his own grave, reports the Guardian newspaper. The group reaffirmed that it will not lay down its arms until an independent Palestinian state is declared.

The next day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that videos of exhausted hostages in Gaza prove that Hamas is not interested in reaching an agreement to release the prisoners, writes the Times of Israel media

The politician added that after watching the video, he was "filled with even greater determination to free our captive sons, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel."

• Israel's restrictions on the entry of goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza have led to acute shortages of food and other essentials, prompting demands for a ceasefire from international partners. Food security experts, working with the support of the UN, stated this week that the "worst-case scenario of famine" is now being realized in Gaza.
• Israel said that Hamas intercepts civilian cargo to finance salaries and recruit militants.