Women demonstrators dressed up as Israeli hostage Naama Levy, an army soldier abducted from the military base of Nahal Oz during the October 7, 2023 attacks by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, stand with restrained hands during a re-enactment in the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, now informally called the "Hostages Square", in Tel Aviv on October 19, 2024 amid calls for action to release the hostages still held captive in the Palestinian territory as Israel battles Hamas. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)

JERUSALEM — Frustrated with the dwindling prospect of reaching a ceasefire deal in the year-long Gaza war, some Israeli entrepreneurs have sought a different avenue to release hostages -- offering a financial reward for those who choose to free them.

Former SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum told AFP Monday he had received around 100 calls after announcing on social media platform X that he would give $100,000 in cash or bitcoin to "anyone who delivers from Gaza a living Israeli prisoner".