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Leaders of 18 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have called on Hamas to release the hostages it is holding in Gaza, saying the move would lead to an “immediate and prolonged” ceasefire.
The statement issued Thursday represents a new joint effort by the United States and others to increase pressure on the militant group and revive stalled negotiations with Israel on a deal to free the captives.
“The agreement on the table to release the hostages would result in an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, which would facilitate an influx of additional needed humanitarian aid. . . and lead to a credible end to hostilities,” the statement said.
The release of the hostages would also allow Gazans “to return to their homes and lands with prior preparations to secure shelter and humanitarian supplies,” he adds.
Hostage talks, mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, have failed, with Hamas and Israel blaming each other for the lack of progress.
Negotiators have struggled for months to narrow the wide gaps between the two sides.
Hamas insists that any arrangement to secure the release of captives ends with a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the demands and insisted on pursuing “total victory” as Israel prepares to launch an offensive on the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where more than A million people have found refuge.
The United States and its fellow mediators have been pushing for an expanded ceasefire to secure the release of the hostages, with the initial phase expected to last about six weeks. In exchange for Hamas releasing prisoners, Israel would release Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and allow more aid into the besieged strip, which suffers from chronic food shortages.
Hamas, which captured around 250 hostages during its October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israel, also wants those displaced from Gaza to be able to return to their homes in the devastated northern Gaza Strip.
Israel’s six-month assault on Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
The US statement was backed by the leaders of several countries whose citizens are being held hostage in Gaza, including France, Germany, Brazil and Thailand.
An Israeli official said Israel supported anything that would free the hostages, but would not stop the war until it achieved its goals, including the destruction of Hamas.
A senior US administration official said previous attempts to issue a joint international statement on the release of the hostages had failed due to “different views” on the conflict between the countries involved. But a new attempt by the White House in recent weeks quickly came to fruition.
Domestic pressure on the White House to negotiate a hostage deal and end the war has intensified, as protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza have erupted on college campuses.
Around 130 hostages remain in Gaza, although some are believed to have died in captivity.
The release this week of a video showing images of injured American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin also drew more attention to their plight.
