Working "around the clock" to release hostages held in Gaza: US
Nov 14, 2023
Washington, DC [US], November 14 : US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that the Biden administration is working "around the clock" to ensure the release of the nearly 240 hostages being held by terrorists in Gaza, adding that he will be meeting again with representatives of the captives' families later today.
In a White House briefing, National Security Adviser Sullivan said that 3-year-old Abigail Edan, an American citizen and orphan of the October 7 Hamas terror attack, is among the hostages, as highlighted in President Joe Biden's call with the Qatari emir.
"The United States continues to work round the clock to support efforts to rescue and reunite hostages held by Hamas with their families where they belong," said Sullivan.
Sullivan added that nine Americans were currently unaccounted for, along with one US Green Card holder. He declined to give much information regarding the status of the hostages but said that the US "does have information... about some of the hostages."
"There are a substantial number of hostages who are not just alive but who could potentially be part of a hostage release," Sullivan continued, adding, "But I couldn't give you a number of exactly how many Americans would be included in that. That's something that we will have to work through as we continue these negotiations. We won't know for certain until we actually get the release of those hostages."
Sullivan reaffirmed that the US is also leading efforts to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. "While we've made some progress, much more is urgently needed to alleviate suffering among the civilian population in Gaza," he said.
The US National Security Adviser also underscored Israel's agreement last week to implement localised humanitarian pauses in the IDF's fighting in northern Gaza and says the US will continue discussing the implementation of additional such pauses, which will allow for additional aid to flow in, the safe passage of Palestinian civilians, and assist in the release of the hostages.
"We believe pauses should not be dictated by a strict timetable," Sullivan said, noting that the humanitarian pauses Israel agreed to may need to extend longer than four hours and adds that the IDF too has recognized this, recently extending one of the pauses to seven hours to ensure the safe passage of civilians.
"Ultimately, we'd like to see considerably longer pauses [for] days, not hours, in the context of a hostage release," he added.
Sullivan also lamented the loss of civilians in the conflict while stressing that Israel is fighting against a terror group whose leaders have pledged to carry out more massacres like that of October 7 and to remain in a permanent state of war with Israel until the Jewish state is eradicated.
