Biden urged a broader effort to emerge from the crisis with a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Washington:
US President Joe Biden stated that the release of the first group of hostages taken by Hamas was just a “start” and highlighted the potential to extend a temporary truce in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, Biden also emphasized the need to “renew” work on creating a two-state solution for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
A total of 24 hostages, including 13 Israelis, 10 Thais, and a Filipino, were turned over to the ICRC in Gaza by Hamas, while Israel released 39 women and minors held in its prisons, as per the Qatari foreign ministry.
Additionally, a four-day truce to facilitate the hostage and prisoner releases was holding.
Biden, who led US efforts to secure the pause in the brutal fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in control of Gaza, expressed optimism for extending the truce, stating “I think the chances are real.”
He commended the initial stages of the process, noting, “this morning I’ve been engaged with my team as we began the first couple days of implementing this deal. It’s only a start, but so far it’s gone well.”
He urged a broader effort to achieve a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel, emphasizing the “need to renew our resolve to pursue this two-state solution.”
Hamas’s October 7 attack prompted an air and ground offensive by Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militants.
In Gaza, nearly 15,000 people, including 6,150 children, have been killed in the war, according to officials in the Hamas-run territory.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack, and around 240 were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Waiting for response to load…
