US President Biden comments on the release of 50 hostages by Hamas
Hamas have agreed to allow 50 hostages to return, however, there are still roughly 150 who will be under Hamas control, with over 200 hostages being abducted during the October 7 offensive into Israel.
WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday 22 morning expressed his welcoming of the deal to accept a ceasefire in return for 50 hostage held by the Hamas militant group, sharing his gratitude to the acceptance of a ceasefire. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement on Wednesday, confirming roughly 50 hostages abducted by the Hamas terror group in Gaza during the October 7 attack, will be released, reported The Times of Israel.
A post shared on Netanyahu's X, formerly Twitter, page stated, "Tonight, the Government has approved the outline of the first stage of achieving this goal, according to which at least 50 hostages - women and children - will be released over four days, during which a pause in the fighting will be held." Similarly, the US President, taking to his social media X, declared that he was glad the deal was secured, adding that he was grateful that the hostages will be reunited with their families.
"I welcome the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7th." The US president said. "I'm gratified that these brave souls, who have endured an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented." The US President expressed his gratitude to regional partners, who were "critical" in ensuring the deal was passed.
Biden shared on X, "I thank Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt for their critical partnership in reaching this deal. And I appreciate Prime Minister Netanyahu's commitment in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out" US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken further added, "We welcome the release of 50 hostages, including Americans, from captivity in Gaza. I thank Qatar and Egypt for their partnership, and appreciate Israel's support for a humanitarian pause that will allow additional humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza."
Although a ceasefire has been permitted, the ongoing Gaza conflict has not come to an end, Netanyahu has stated, "The Israeli government, the IDF and the security forces will continue the war to return all the abductees, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that Gaza does not renew any threat to the State of Israel." Hamas have agreed to allow 50 hostages to return, however, there are still roughly 150 who will be under Hamas control, with over 200 hostages being abducted during the October 7 offensive into Israel.
The US President says that he "will not stop until they are all released", claiming that he has "no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans held hostage", in a post shared on X.