United States: The United States administration has stated that releasing Hamas captives will require a “very significant pause” in the war in Gaza.
“It is something that is under very serious and active discussion. But there is no agreement as of yet to actually get this done,” a senior Biden administration official commented. According to Israeli authorities, Hamas took more than 240 people captive during its October 7 attacks.
The US official noted that Washington was “doing everything we possibly can” to get the captives out of Gaza, including “indirect engagement.”
“We’re hopeful and doing everything we possibly can to get the hostages out, but there’s absolutely no guarantee that it is going to happen or when it’s going to happen,” the statement added.
The official’s remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu refused any temporary ceasefire until Hamas released all captives. Mr. Netanyahu’s comments came after a meeting with US Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv. The PM added that Israel would continue “full force” until all captives go free.
The US official further noted that the Biden administration has been in constant discussion with Israel and “asking hard questions” about its objectives and whether it is achieving them.
According to reports, many of the captives are still in Gaza, which has been under intense bombardment by Israeli forces for almost a month.
The Biden official also stated that Hamas provided a list of injured Palestinians for evacuation, but it was deemed “unacceptable” by the US, Israel, and Egypt as one-third of the names were Hamas members.
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