President Joe Biden welcomed the release of an American woman held hostage by Hamas and reiterated the United States’ commitment to seeking the return of all hostages from the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, 16 more people were returned to their families after being held hostage for more than 50 days. One of them was Liat Beinin, a school teacher, tour guide at the Yad Vashem Israel Holocaust Museum and an American.
“Jill and I are thrilled that she will soon be reunited with her three children and her father, who were overwhelmed with concern for her safety,” Biden said.
“We remain committed to seeking the release of all those taken hostage by Hamas in the brutal terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, including Liat’s husband, Aviv,” he added.
The president noted that the agreement on the pause in hostilities in Gaza and the release of hostages, which the United States was actively working on, entered into force for the sixth day.
“The agreement delivered tangible results,” Biden said. – Almost 100 hostages returned to their loved ones. “The United States is leading the international community’s efforts to use this pause to accelerate the delivery of additional humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
More than 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food, water, medicine, emergency shelter supplies, fuel and cooking gas, have entered the Gaza Strip in recent days, Biden said.
For the first time since the conflict began, aid reached the northern Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, the United States airlifted more than 24 tons of medical equipment and food to a humanitarian aid distribution center in Egypt.
“I thank Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for their continued collaboration in this process and their continued commitment to bringing all the hostages home and delivering more aid. to the innocent people of Gaza,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday.
He is expected to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending Israel’s temporary truce with Hamas and increasing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
This is his third trip to the region since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
He is also expected to visit the West Bank, where he will likely meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Palestinian official said.
“Our focus over the next few days is to extend the pause so we can release more hostages and deliver more humanitarian aid,” Blinken said before leaving for the Middle East.
