Today, Thursday, April 25, 2024, 18 countries called for an end to the crisis in the Gaza Strip and the establishment of peace and stability in the region.
This came in a joint statement on behalf of the leaders of the United States, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, published on the White House website.
The statement said: “We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for more than 200 days, including our citizens.”
He explained, “The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who enjoy protection under international law, raises international concern.”
The leaders of the countries that signed the statement stressed that “the agreement on the table to release the hostages would lead to an immediate and long-term ceasefire in Gaza,” without mentioning the details of the agreement.
On Thursday evening, the Israeli War Council is expected to discuss a new initiative to push for a deal to release detainees held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a senior Israeli official told the Hebrew “Wala” news website.
The joint statement stressed that the agreement “would facilitate an increase in the necessary additional humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead to a credible end to the hostilities. Gazans will be able to return to their homes and lands with advance preparations to ensure shelter and humanitarian supplies.”
The country leaders said: “We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts to return our citizens to their homelands. We reiterate our call on Hamas to release the hostages.”
They called for “an end to the crisis (in Gaza) so that we can collectively focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region.”
For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been leading indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas with the aim of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and an exchange of prisoners and detainees between the two parties.
The negotiations did not finally result in the crystallization of an agreement due to Tel Aviv’s rejection of Hamas’s demand to end the war, withdraw Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and return the displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip.
