The Israeli military said Sunday it had identified the bodies of six hostages brought back from Gaza to Israel, including two women and four men, one Israeli-American and one Israeli-Russian.
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet on Monday, September 2, with American negotiators working on the release of hostages in the war between Israel and Hamas, after the death of six captives in Gaza, including an American citizen. The meeting will be held at the White House in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president in November, will also attend.
A statement announcing the meeting said Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will meet on Monday. “the American team negotiating a hostage deal following the killing of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages on Saturday by Hamas, and will discuss efforts to reach an agreement that will secure the release of the remaining hostages.”.
Hope for a ceasefire
The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, which have also acted as mediators, have been pushing for months for an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
An unprecedented attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data. During this attack, which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, 251 people were kidnapped, 97 are still being held in Gaza, including 33 declared dead by the army.
Many of the hostages were freed during a week-long truce in November. Supporters and families of the captives say a new ceasefire agreement is the best option to ensure their safe return.
National strike
A national strike is due to begin in Israel on Monday to increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release the remaining hostages.
Relatives and advocates of the hostages have accused the Netanyahu administration of not doing enough to bring them back alive and are calling for an immediate ceasefire to rescue survivors.
