Biden welcomes return of 1st group of
hostages, says Hamas only responds to pressure.
International News Desk
According to global Times news Agency Europe, US President Joe Biden said that Americans have another reason to be thankful on Thanksgiving following the release of 24 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but in an apparent echo of Israel’s position, added that the agreement showed that the terror group would only respond to pressure, The Global Times Europe inform. I don’t trust Hamas to do anything right. I only trust Hamas to respond to pressure,” he said in comments that fell in line with the Israeli position that the ongoing hostage deal would not have been possible without the intensive military operation in Gaza. When asked whether he had pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set a timeline for the end of the war, Biden said he has encouraged the Israeli premier to focus on trying to reduce the number of casualties while he is attempting to eliminate Hamas, which is the legitimate objective.US President Joe Biden said Friday that Americans have another reason to be thankful on Thanksgiving following the release of 24 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but in an apparent echo of Israel’s position added that the agreement showed that the terror group would only respond to pressure.I don’t trust Hamas to do anything right. I only trust Hamas to respond to pressure,” he said in comments that fell in line with the Israeli position that the ongoing hostage deal would not have been possible without the intensive military operation in Gaza. When asked whether he had pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set a timeline for the end of the war, Biden said he has encouraged the Israeli premier to focus on trying to reduce the number of casualties while he is attempting to eliminate Hamas, which is the legitimate objective. That’s a difficult task, and I don’t know how long it will take. My expectation and hope is that as we move forward, the rest of the Arab world in the region is also putting pressure on all sides to slow this down to bring this to an end as quickly as we can,” Biden added. Thirteen Israelis and 11 foreign nationals from Thailand and the Philippines were released on November 24 as part of the multi-day truce reached by Israel and Hamas, the first one since the outbreak of the war last month. The 13 Israelis — including three mothers and their young children — are some of at least 50 Israeli women and children who are slated for release over the first four days of the lull in fighting, with three Palestinian security prisoners to be freed in exchange for each hostage.