Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister of Hungary, has urged Qatar to assist in rescuing civilians taken hostage by Hamas after its lethal October 7 raid into southern Israel.
According to information posted on the government’s website, the militant organisation has captured “several hundred” captives, including five Hungarian citizens.
Szijjártó continued, “The Hungarian government maintains continuous communication with the Israeli government-established working group for the release of all hostages.”
The communications office also stated that during their phone conversation on Sunday, he and his counterpart from Qatar, Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, discussed the security situation in the area.
Szijjártó stated, “I informed my colleague that we are aware of five individuals who are also citizens of Hungary who were kidnapped and requested his assistance in releasing them.
The Qatari minister had been provided the names of the hostages and had agreed to forward pertinent information as soon as it became available.
Szijjártó remarked, “We are appreciative of Qatar and the Qatari government for their assistance.”
The Persian Gulf state has gained prominence in efforts to arbitrate agreements to liberate hostages and evacuate foreign nationals from Gaza between Israel, Hamas, and Egypt—often in cooperation with the United States.
