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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, while speaking at the United Nations, said that Hamas was ready to release civilian hostages but only when 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons were released.

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"The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to play its part in this very important humanitarian endeavour, along with Qatar and Turkey. Naturally, the release of the 6,000 Palestinian prisoners is another necessity and responsibility of the global community," Amirabdollahian said.

He further warned the United States that if Israel's counter-attacks against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza did not stop, then Washington would "not be spared from this fire."

"I say frankly to the American statesmen, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome (an) expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire," he told a meeting on the Middle East at the 193-member General Assembly.

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Release of hostages needs ceasefire, says Hamas official

A Hamas official linked the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza to a ceasefire in Israel's counter-attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Also read: Explained | Amid fears of escalation, United States intensifies deployment of forces around Israel

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Israel said earlier it is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, however, US and Arab countries have urged Tel Aviv to delay the operation amid fears that it could ignite a broader escalation.

As per news agency Reuters, a poll released on Friday (Oct 27), suggested that nearly half of the Israelis wanted defence forces to halt the ground invasion out of fears that at least 224 hostages were reported to be held there.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted a member of a Hamas delegation visiting Moscow as saying that time was needed to locate all those who had been abducted by various Palestinian factions in the Hamas attack on October 7.

"They seized dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then release them," Abu Hamid said.

He said Hamas, which has freed four hostages so far, had made clear it intended to release "civilian prisoners".

But this required a "calm environment", he said, repeating an assertion that Israeli bombing had already killed 50 of those held. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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