The Diplomat
US President Joe Biden, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and 16 other leaders have signed a joint appeal calling on Hamas to ‘immediately release’ all hostages held by Hamas since the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October.
The text, which was released by the White House, was signed by the leaders of the United States, Spain, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
The communiqué, according to a senior US official, began to be discussed months ago, but disagreements over the wording prevented a common text from being reached. Finally, in the last two weeks it was drafted and after agreement by all, it was released yesterday.
The leaders of the 18 countries say: ‘We demand the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for more than 200 days. These hostages include citizens of our countries. The fate of the hostages and the civilian population of Gaza, protected by international law, is a matter of international concern.
The statement stresses that the agreement on the table to release the hostages ‘would allow for an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, which would facilitate the arrival of necessary humanitarian assistance and lead to a credible end to hostilities’.
It adds that ‘Gazans would be able to return to their homes and lands with advance preparations to ensure shelter and humanitarian supplies’. And they ‘strongly’ support the mediation efforts between the Israeli government and Hamas, although there are no optimistic developments so far.
According to the US official, the latest offer includes the release of women, elderly men and other men with serious medical conditions.
In mid-April, however, Hamas rejected that proposal and called for a permanent ceasefire, rather than a temporary truce.
The leaders’ joint statement comes a day after Hamas released a video showing one of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, criticising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for not doing enough to free them.
Goldberg-Polin is one of approximately 129 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, although many of them – about 70 according to Hamas – may have been killed.
