US President Joe Biden on Friday praised US diplomats for their efforts to rescue 24 hostages held by Hamas and said “this was the beginning” of what he hoped would happen: it will be “a new release by of the Palestinian group of all the hostages” in the coming days.
“As of this morning, in accordance with the agreement reached through an extensive effort of American diplomacy, including numerous calls I made from the Oval Office to leaders throughout the region, the fighting in Gaza will cease for four days.” Biden said at a press conference. .
Biden declined to speculate on how long the war between Israel and Hamas will last, but said he believes “the chances of extending the current truce are real.” The President expressed his hope that American citizens held by Hamas will also be released.
“I don’t know how long it will take,” Biden said.
“I hope and expect that as we move forward, the rest of the Arab world and the region will also put pressure on both sides (of the conflict) to stop it and end it as quickly as possible,” he added. .
Earlier on Friday, on the first day of the military truce, Hamas militants freed 24 hostages, including 13 Israeli women and children, 10 Thai farm workers and a Filipino, after the sound of gunfire in the Strip of Gaza will cease for the first time in seven weeks.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the hostages, accompanied by eight ICRC staff, were taken out of the Gaza Strip in a convoy of four vehicles and handed over to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing.
