The US says it will continue to work with Israel to free hostages from Gaza
The US authorities will continue to work with Israel to release all hostages from the Gaza Strip. The corresponding statement of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 1 was published on the website of the State Department.
"The United States will continue to work with Israel to reunite all remaining hostages with their families and ensure peace in the region," Rubio pointed out.
He also said that US President Donald Trump has made the safety and security of American citizens around the world the top priority of his administration.
Earlier in the day it became known that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to fly to a meeting with Trump on February 2 to discuss the future stages of the agreement of the treaty on the release of hostages from Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office indicated that Netanyahu has agreed with Trump's special envoy for the Middle East to begin negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza deal in the United States on February 3.
On Jan. 19, the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. During this phase of the deal, which will last 42 days, 33 Israeli hostages and about 1,900 Palestinians are to be released.
At the same time, Hamas released three hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, and on January 26, the movement handed over four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross. On January 30, the Palestinian side handed over eight hostages to the Israeli military, among them three Israelis and five Thai nationals. On February 1, Hamas released a U.S. citizen from captivity for the first time since the ceasefire. In addition, two more hostages were handed over to Israel on that day.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas subjected Israel's territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
