US President Joe Biden stated this Monday that he believes that an agreement will soon be reached to release the hostages held by the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza.
“I’ve been talking to the people involved every day. I believe this will happen. But I don’t want to give any more details,” the American leader said on the sidelines of a ceremony at the White House.
This Monday, the White House had already reported that Biden had “discussed extensively” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu efforts to reach an agreement that would lead to the release of the hostages.
Israeli sources had given signals in the same direction, indicating that Hamas would be available to release the hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The international press has also reported that Hamas could also accept the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
When Biden was asked last week what message he wanted to send to the families of American hostages in Gaza, the president left words of encouragement.
“Hang in there. We’re on it,” Biden said.
This Monday, the White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and the envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carsten, spoke with relatives of some of the American hostages, to update them on the evolution of this issue.
The Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued a statement in the last few hours reporting that the negotiations – which are led by Qatar, the North American agency CIA and the Israeli information agency Mossad – focus on the possible release of around 70 women and children.
On October 7, Hamas fighters – in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007 and classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel – carried out an attack on Israeli territory of unprecedented dimensions since the creation of the State of Israel, in 1948, caused 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, about five thousand wounded and more than 200 hostages.
In retaliation, Israel declared a war to “eradicate” Hamas, which began with food, water, electricity and fuel cuts in the Gaza Strip and daily shelling, followed by a ground offensive surrounding Gaza City.
The war between Israel and Hamas, which this Monday marked 45 days and continues to threaten to spread throughout the Middle East region, has so far left more than 13,000 dead in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, and more than 30,000 injured. , according to the latest report from local authorities, and 1.7 million displaced, according to the UN.
Source: TSF
