WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he believed there would be an agreement with Hamas to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but did not provide detailed information.
“I talk to people involved every day. I believe it will happen, but I don’t want to go into detail,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about a final deal.
When asked if he had a message for the families of those detained by the Palestinian group, he replied: “Hang in there. It was coming.”
Nine Americans and a U.S. permanent resident were among nearly 240 people taken hostage by Hamas fighters last month as they crossed the border to carry out the deadliest attack in Israeli history.
Hamas announces foreign hostages will be released ‘within the next few days’
“I can’t look you in the eye and tell you how many of the hostages are still alive,” U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press conference on Monday.
According to Israel’s latest official figures, the October 7 Hamas attack killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on the Israeli side.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Israel’s brutal retaliatory offensive had killed 11,240 people, mostly civilians, including thousands of children.
Qatar on Tuesday called on Israel and Hamas to accept its offer to mediate to reach an agreement.
The United States has repeatedly called for an end to hostilities to facilitate the rescue of those held in Gaza.
The White House said Tuesday that Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, will travel to the region, specifically Qatar, where Hamas has its political office, to discuss the hostages issue.
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