The US, along with leaders from 17 countries whose citizens are also held hostages in Gaza, released a joint statement on Thursday for the first time during the conflict, calling on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
A senior administration official said the cohort of countries tried to initiate a joint statement earlier during the war but were unable to come to an agreement due to different views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and Gaza now for over 200 days. They include our citizens,” the statement said. “The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza who are protected under international law is of international concern.”
The version of the joint statement released on Thursday had been in the works for the past two weeks, the official said.
Ceasefire to Gaza just for release of women, wounded, elderly, and sick
The deal on the table that would bring a ceasefire to Gaza simply with the release of women, wounded, elderly, and sick hostages is ready to go, a senior administration official said, and Hamas has rejected that.
The official denied allegations that Israel is preventing the deal.
The US deal was a key topic in the last conversation President Biden had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a week ago, and the Israelis fully agreed to that proposal, the official said.
What came back from Hamas was not a constructive response at all, he added.
Hamas leaders on the outside say all sorts of things, but the decision-makers are inside Gaza, living deep underground and holding the hostages, the official said.
“The core truth, there’s a deal on the table. It meets nearly all of the demands that Hamas has had, including in key elements, one of which I just spoke with,” the official said. “And what they need to do is release the vulnerable category of hostages to get things moving.'”
