Nantucket, Massachusetts —
Via X, formerly known as Twitter, President Biden reiterated his Nantucket statement by stating, “A two-state solution is the only way to guarantee long-term security for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. To ensure that Israelis and Palestinians can live in dignity and freedom. We will not give up on achieving this goal.”
Representatives of the International Red Cross took the freed hostages out of Gaza. Some were immediately handed over to Israel, others left the territory via Egypt. The Israeli army said one of the hostages was immediately flown to a hospital.
Biden described the negotiations as a day-to-day, hour-to-hour process, and said he would continue until all the hostages are freed.
In the speech, he described the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement as “(a deal) that delivered life-saving results.”
As part of a deal with Hamas, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons Sunday afternoon.
Biden-Netanyahu Discusses Situation in Gaza
Biden, who since fighting broke out on October 7 has spoken many times with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, contacted him again Sunday afternoon. A written White House statement said the two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza, including “the pause in fighting and the surge in urgently needed additional humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”
Netanyahu expressed his thanks to Biden for his “tireless efforts to help mediate and actually bring this (ceasefire) deal to fruition.”
The two leaders agreed that “the work is far from over and will continue efforts to ensure the release of all hostages.” The two also agreed to re-establish close contact in the coming days.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians, who were killed in Hamas’ initial attack on October 7.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, a territory run by Hamas, said a series of Israeli attacks had killed at least 13,300 people, two-thirds of whom were women and children. (em/hour)