FM ‘commends’ US clarification that any Gaza ceasefire must be conditioned on hostage release

Foreign Minister Israel Katz “commends” the clarification from the US that any pause in fighting in Gaza will be conditioned on the release of 130 hostages held by terror groups since Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

“We will continue to work together with our allies worldwide to preserve Israel’s right to continue the war until the hostages are released and Hamas is decisively defeated,” he says in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

It was not immediately clear which clarification Katz was referring to.

His statement comes after US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last night that “an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians.” He urged his Israeli counterpart to “empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.”