The White House says it is working “hard” to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would allow for the release of hostages and a pause in fighting
The White House said it was continuing to work “hard” to reach an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to release the hostages and bring about a lull in the fighting. “We have not yet reached an agreement, but we continue to work hard to achieve it,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson on the social network. The pact has already been concluded.
According to the newspaper, the six-page agreement is expected to lead to the release of the hostages within a few days and a first lull in the Gaza conflict. Citing anonymous sources, the newspaper has stated that the parties will suspend hostilities for at least five days, while some of those held will be released in groups of 50 people, with movements in the area where the attack is taking place controlled by aerial surveillance should be. release.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attacks, which Israeli authorities said killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 240 hostage. According to Hamas, which has de facto ruled the enclave since 2007, relentless Israeli air and ground retaliation has killed more than 16,000 people in Gaza since then.
Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser, said there could be a “significant lull” in the war if hostages held by the Islamist group were released. “The increase in humanitarian aid, the increase in fuel and the pause will occur when the hostages are released,” McGurk told a security conference in Bahrain. The release of a large number of hostages would represent “a significant pause … and a massive increase in humanitarian assistance,” he stressed.
McGurk said Biden discussed the matter Friday evening with the government of Qatar, a Gulf state that is focused on mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.
This week, Biden said he was “a little hopeful” about reaching an agreement to release the hostages, who are believed to include about 10 U.S. citizens. Israel has refused to meet calls for a ceasefire before all those held by the Islamist militia are released. (France Press)