The United States and its partners remain committed to securing the release of hostages abducted by the Hamas terror group during its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, President Joe Biden said on Jan. 14.
“On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families: we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home,” he remarked.
President Biden said that his administration has pursued “aggressive diplomacy” in its efforts to bring the hostages home.
“In November, working in close coordination with Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, we brokered a seven-day pause in fighting that resulted in the release of 105 hostages—including a 4-year-old American child—and allowed us to surge additional vital humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said.
“I was deeply engaged to secure, sustain, and extend that deal. Sadly, Hamas walked away after just one week. But the United States and our partners have not given up.”
Hamas terrorists captured 240 Israeli hostages during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israel. A temporary truce in November 2023 led to the release of more than 100 hostages, but 130 are still held in Gaza.
President Biden said that he would maintain close contact with his counterparts in Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to return all hostages home and back to their families.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also traveled to the Middle East region last week “seeking a path forward for a deal to free all those still being held,” the president said.
Mr. Blinken said the United States won’t rest until the hostages are freed.
Biden Urged to ‘Show Strength’
However, Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said he finds it “infuriating” that the U.S. president allowed “innocent Americans, Israelis and others to hit the 100-day mark as hostages in Gaza.”
Mr. Scott criticized President Biden’s “unprecedented weakness” and accused him of funneling American tax dollars to the Palestinian Authority, which he claimed was “paying terrorists and sending money to Gaza which only helps Hamas.”
“Biden needs to show strength NOW. These families have spent far too many days separated from their loved ones and today marks a somber milestone. Enough is enough.”
The families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip kicked off a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv on the evening of Jan. 13, calling on the Israeli government to bring their loved ones home after 100 days spent in Hamas captivity.
Israel said on Jan. 13 that it had brokered a deal with mediator Qatar to deliver badly needed medicines to the hostages with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross. There was no immediate sign that the deal was being implemented.
There is international pressure for a ceasefire as the Israeli military carries out its security objective of neutralizing Hamas.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has said that nearly 24,000 Palestinians have died amid Israeli strikes.
