According to the joint document, the hostages are under the protection of international law, “their fate is a matter of international concern”. Meanwhile, Israel is said to be ready to accept the release of not 40, but only 20 – according to a senior official, 33 – hostages in the first phase of the agreement.
AD
Under the leadership of US President Joe Biden, 18 affected countries, including Hungary, demanded in a joint statement that Hamas immediately release the hostages held since October 7 from Gaza. An official of the terrorist organization said in his first reaction that the American pressure “has no value”.
In the document published in Washington, attention is drawn to the fact that the hostages and the Palestinian civilian population of the Gaza Strip are under the protection of international law and “their fate is a matter of international concern.”
In addition to the United States and Hungary, the statement was issued on behalf of the heads of state and government of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
The signatory countries emphasize that the draft agreement on the partial release of the hostages (rejected by Hamas) would have meant an immediate and extended ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and would have helped increase humanitarian supplies and created the conditions for Gazans to return to their homes.
Meanwhile, according to the signs, Israel – just before the launch of the Rafah offensive – is ready to give in to its original demand that the Islamist organization release 40 hostages who are still alive. According to unanimous reports from Israeli newspapers, Jerusalem would be satisfied with the release of only 20 hostages in the first stage of the agreement – 33 according to a senior official, mainly women, men over 50 and the seriously ill. In return, Israel would guarantee that people displaced in the Gaza Strip could return to the northern part of the territory.
Of the 253 hostages abducted by the Islamists on October 7 last year, several were released in November, and according to Israeli statistics, 133 remained in the captivity of Hamas. Among them, the death of 36 people was confirmed, there is no reliable information about the fate of the others.
