Israeli PM Netanyahu offers $5m reward for captives freed from Gaza

Israel, November 20 (Al Jazeera) -  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said $5m will be given as a reward for each captive released from Gaza and those that help free Israelis held by Hamas will be given a way out of the war-torn Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu announced the reward offer during a brief visit to Gaza on Tuesday where he was shown the Israeli military’s Netzarim Corridor – a key access road and buffer zone constructed by Israel’s army to dissect northern Gaza from the southern part.

“To those who want to leave this entanglement, I say: Whoever brings us a hostage, will find a safe way out for himself and his family. We will also give $5m for every hostage,” Netanyahu said during his brief visit to the Palestinian territory.

“The choice is yours but the result will be the same: We will bring them all back,” he said.

Israel estimates that 101 captives remain in Gaza, though around one-third of that number are now believed to have died.

Netanyahu’s reward offer comes as mass protests continue in Israel by families of captives and their supporters who are demanding that the prime minister reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas that would see their loved ones freed.