President Biden and 17 other world leaders made a statement on Thursday, urging Hamas to release the remaining captives from the October 7 attacks in Israel. They believe that this action could lead to a longer period of peace in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The leaders wrote that they want Hamas to free all the captives who have been held in Gaza for over 200 days, including their own citizens. They emphasized that the well-being of the captives and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected by international law, is a matter of global concern.
They stressed that if the deal to release the captives is accepted, it would result in an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza. This, in turn, would make it easier to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza and lead to a real end to the hostilities. They also mentioned that preparations would be made to ensure proper shelter and humanitarian help for the people of Gaza to return to their homes and lands.
Biden and other leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom signed the statement. According to a senior administration official, these countries all have citizens who are either held captive or missing in Gaza following Hamas’ attacks in Israel last October.
The leaders said in the statement that they fully support the ongoing mediation efforts to bring their people back home. They reiterated their call for Hamas to release the captives in order to end the crisis and focus on bringing peace and stability to the region together.
A senior administration official, speaking to reporters, described the gathering of leaders as highly unusual, noting that a previous attempt to obtain agreement on a similar statement had failed.
The statement had been in progress for a couple of weeks, according to the official, and it was released the day after Hamas published a video featuring Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American man who was among those taken by the militant group during the unexpected attack that started the war last autumn. It was unclear when the video was made.
The senior administration official mentioned that the Biden administration is in constant communication with Goldberg-Polin’s family and that ensuring the release of captives is a top priority for them on a daily basis.
Biden had a meeting on Wednesday at the White House with Abigail Mor Edan, a four-year-old who was taken captive and was freed in November, along with several others.
For weeks, the White House has been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza that would pave the way for the release of captives still being held in the region, as well as allow additional humanitarian aid to flow into the area.
Hamas stated that it will not release the remaining captives unless Israel puts an end to the war, which has led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, prompting a series of protests on campuses in the United States recently.
