US Government Calls for Further Extension of Gaza Ceasefire: Efforts to Release Hostages Continues

2023-11-29 14:21:00

The US government is calling for a further extension of the ceasefire in the Gaza war. “If there are longer pauses that go beyond these two days, then you know we are in favor of it and we will continue to work on it,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Tuesday. The US government wants all hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be released. Therefore, they will continue to work with Israel, Qatar and Egypt to see whether the breaks might be extended further.

The four-day ceasefire that began on Friday morning was extended by two days under the previously applicable conditions. This might last until Thursday morning. It was initially unknown whether it would be extended once more followingwards. However, in the background there were efforts to expand.

The US government also hopes that more hostages with US citizenship will be released in the future, said Kirby. So far, a four-year-old American girl who witnessed the murder of her parents in the Hamas massacre in Israel has been among the hostages released. The US government believes that two other women with US citizenship are among the people being held. Another seven US citizens are missing – it is not clear whether all of them are among the hostages.

“There is no sign that Hamas is trying to play games with the Americans,” Kirby said when asked if there was a reason why more US hostages have not been released so far. “First of all, the group of Americans is quite small. And the group of Americans who are eligible now, women and children, is even smaller.” (DPA)

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