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The leaders of 18 countries, including the United States and Britain, have called on Hamas to release hostages it is holding in Gaza, saying the move would lead to an “immediate and prolonged” ceasefire.
The statement released Thursday represents a new joint effort by the U.S. and others to increase pressure on the militant group and restart stalled negotiations with Israel over a deal to release the prisoners.
“The agreement on the table to release the hostages would entail an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, allowing for a surge in additional necessary humanitarian assistance.” . and lead to a credible end to hostilities,” the statement said.
The release of the hostages would also allow Gazans to “return to their homes and lands and prepare in advance to provide shelter and humanitarian assistance,” it said.
Hostage talks brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt have failed as Hamas and Israel blame each other for the lack of progress.
Negotiators have been struggling for months to narrow the wide gap between the two parties.
Hamas insists that any agreement to secure the release of prisoners will end with a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those demands and insisted he is aiming for “total victory” as Israel prepared for an offensive against the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where more than a million people have sought refuge.
The US and its co-mediators are pushing for an extension of the ceasefire to ensure the release of the hostages. The first phase is expected to last approximately six weeks. In return for Hamas’s release of prisoners, Israel would release Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and allow more aid to the besieged strip, which is experiencing chronic food shortages.
Hamas, which Israel says took about 250 hostages in its Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people, also wants displaced Gazans to be able to return their homes in Gaza’s devastated north.
Israel’s six-month assault on Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
The US statement was supported by leaders of several countries whose citizens were held hostage in Gaza, including France, Germany, Brazil and Thailand.
An Israeli official said Israel supported anything that would lead to the release of the hostages but that it would not stop the war until it achieved its goals, which include destroying Hamas.
A senior U.S. government official said previous attempts to issue a joint international statement on the release of hostages had failed because of “differing views” on the conflict between the countries involved. But a new attempt by the White House in recent weeks came together quickly.
Domestic pressure on the White House to successfully negotiate a hostage deal and end the war has increased as protests have broken out on college campuses against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
About 130 hostages remain in Gaza, but some are believed to have died in captivity.
The release of a video this week showing footage of injured U.S. hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin has also drawn more attention to her plight.