Joe Biden makes a statement on the conflict between Israel and Hamas
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said this Monday (23) that we can only talk about a ceasefire in Gaza if the terrorist group Hamas releases all the hostages kidnapped in Israel during the October 7 attack.
“The hostages need to be released and then we can talk,” Biden said at the White House when asked if he would support a “hostage ceasefire” agreement.
Shortly before, Hamas had reported that it had released two more women who had been kidnapped in Israel. On Friday he had already released an American mother and daughter.
On Monday, Israel increased to 222 the number of confirmed hostages captured as Hamas gunmen crossed the border and attacked kibbutz, a music festival, towns and military bases in southern Israel.
Israeli authorities said more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, died in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the deadliest since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.
In Gaza, more than 5,000 people, most of them civilians, have died in bombings in retaliation by Israel, according to the Hamasrun health ministry.
In addition, Biden referred to a telephone conversation with Pope Francis on Sunday in which the war between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian situation in Gaza were discussed.
“The pope and I agree, he was very, very, very interested in what we were doing,” Biden said. The American president claims to have explained the strategy to the pontiff. “The pope basically supported us,” he said.