Bahrain Crown Prince calls on Hamas to release Israeli hostages

Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa draws red lines for both sides to in the conflict

Bahrain's Crown Prince said hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately in exchange for prisoners held in Israel. PA

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said on Friday night that the war in Gaza is an “intolerable situation” as he called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages.

Israel has laid siege to the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attacks of October 7, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.

Prince Salman said hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately in exchange for prisoners held in Israel. Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords with Israel three years ago, said “we must do everything in our power to solve it”.

“I don't think any Arab leader has called on Hamas to do this,” he added. “So it is a time for straight talking.”

Speaking ahead of the annual Manama Dialogue security summit, the Crown Prince said that the Gaza Strip must get “a few days or weeks or months or maybe years of peace and calm”.

Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed at least 11,500 people, mostly civilians. Aid groups have said that Gazans are facing starvation, as food and water have become practically non-existent.

The Crown Prince said the Quran and the Torah “both prohibit the killing of civilians”.

Prince Salman added that Bahrain has red lines for both sides in the conflict.

It must be “extremely clear what matters is there must be no forced displacement of Palestinians now or ever”, he said.

“There must be no reoccupation, there must be no reduction in Gaza and on the other side, there must be no terrorism directed from Gaza against the Israelis.

“We need to break this cycle of violence between both sides, the Palestinians and Israelis.”

The Crown Prince warned that the Russian invasion of Afghanistan created Al Qaeda and that the US invasion of Iraq created ISIS.

“Think about what this will create in the age of social media. I think we will be looking at a far more difficult next 20 years,” he said.

Prince Salman called for a two-state solution, calling it the only way that the decades-long conflict can end.

“The United States is indispensable in leading this process,” he said in reference to the two-state solution.