In a joint statement released Thursday, the United States and 17 other nations whose citizens are being held hostage by Hamas called for their release.
Hamas has been holding the hostages for more than 200 days, the White House said, and their fate “is of international concern.”
The statement is co-signed by the leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
"We emphasize that the deal on the table to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead to the credible end of hostilities," the statement continued. "Gazans would be able to return to their homes and their lands with preparations beforehand to ensure shelter and humanitarian provisions.
"We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts in order to bring our people home," the statement added. "We reiterate our call on Hamas to release the hostages, and let us end this crisis so that collectively we can focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region."
A senior administration official tells reporters in a briefing call previewing the joint statement that the US had tried to issue this earlier on in the war, but there had been disagreements among the countries regarding the language that prevented its publication.
The US managed to get unanimous support this time around because of the understanding from the countries of the increasingly dire situation in which the hostages now find themselves. The White House shared with them the elements of the deal on the table that Israel has accepted, but that Hamas has rejected.
“There is a deal on the table that would bring a ceasefire immediately to Gaza with the release of women, wounded, elderly and sick hostages that is ready to go. We have worked it out in meticulous detail and Hamas has rejected that. Because of that, we still have fighting ongoing in Gaza,” the senior administration official says. (The Times of Israel)
The statement comes after Hamas released a proof-of-life propaganda video showing American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
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