President Biden and the leaders of 17 countries whose citizens were abducted by Hamas issued a joint statement Thursday calling on the group to accept a hostage deal currently on the table that would lead to a ceasefire in Gaza.
This is the most significant joint statement the international community has published since Oct. 7 pressuring Hamas to release the hostages.
The statement was signed by Biden and the leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
A senior U.S. official said in a briefing call that the idea to publish the joint statement came up during a meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and family members of American hostages about two weeks ago.
"We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for over 200 days. They include our own citizens. The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is of international concern," the 18 leaders said in the statement.
