Biden and 17 world leaders appeal to Hamas to release Israeli prisoners

On Thursday, the United States and 17 other countries issued an appeal in which they called on the Hamas movement to release the sick, wounded, and elderly prisoners as “a way to end the crisis in Gaza.”

These countries said in a statement that a senior US official described as an extraordinary confirmation of the consensus: “We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for more than 200 days.” All of these countries have nationals among those detained by Hamas.

The signatories are the leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and Britain.

The statement said: “We emphasize that the agreement on the table to release the hostages would lead to an immediate and long-term ceasefire in Gaza, which will facilitate an increase in additional necessary humanitarian aid that will be distributed throughout the Strip, and lead to a reliable end to hostilities.” .

While briefing reporters on the statement, a senior American official said that there are some indications that there may be a way to reach an agreement on the hostage crisis, but he is not completely confident. He did not address further details, but said that the decision depends on “one person,” namely Yahya Al-Sinwar, head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza.

Qatar is mediating with the United States and Egypt to reach a truce in the Palestinian Strip and release Israeli prisoners in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

For his part, Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said on Thursday that the movement is adhering to its demand to “stop the Israeli aggression” against Gaza within the framework of any agreement to release the prisoners detained there.

Abu Zuhri, head of Hamas's political department abroad, told Reuters that American pressure on Hamas "has no value."

The family members of the Israeli prisoners organized a protest at the military command headquarters in “Kiriya” in Tel Aviv, where the war government and the mini-security cabinet meet.

The meetings will reportedly focus on the upcoming Israeli army operation in the city of Rafah, as well as the possibility of reaching an agreement with Hamas to release its remaining 129 hostages.