Discussions on a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas will only be possible after the release of all the hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist movement, US President Joe Biden said on Monday.
“The hostages must be released and then we can discuss,” declared the head of state when asked about his support for a ceasefire.
Biden’s remarks came shortly after Hamas announced the release of two more hostages.
Israel identified more than 220 Israeli, foreign or dual national hostages. They were kidnapped and taken to Gaza by members of Hamas in an unprecedented bloody attack on October 7, which sparked a war, in which Israel bombed the Gaza Strip to “eliminate” the Islamist movement.
According to authorities, more than 1,400 people died in Israel, most of them civilians shot, burned or maimed on the day of the attack. The Israeli military said it found the bodies of 1,500 Hamas fighters.
Hamas said today that 5,087 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including 2,055 children, were killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli bombings that destroyed entire neighborhoods.
During a call with Pope Francis on Sunday, Joe Biden discussed the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“The Pope and I are on the same page. He was very, very, very interested in what we are doing,” the US president said on Monday.
Biden added that he “explained what the plan was” regarding American support for Israel, and said the Pope was “fully supportive.”
Source: TSF
