Nearly 600 relatives of 81 hostages sign letter to Biden asking him to press Netanyahu for a deal

Nearly 600 relatives of 81 hostages in Gaza have signed a letter to US President Joe Biden expressing their frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage negotiations, urging him to press the Israeli premier and all other parties to reach an agreement.

“We are reaching out to you because we are increasingly frustrated and worried about the lack of ongoing communication and commitment from the Israeli Prime Minister and the War Cabinet to the hostage release cause,” the hostage families state in the letter, which is the first time a large group of hostage families have sent a letter to Biden.

“We encourage you to use the means available to you, to press and convince all parties, including the Israeli prime minister, to agree to the deal that you assess is reasonable,” the letter adds.

“We stand ready to work closely with your administration to mobilize the Israeli people and to articulate to the American people and their elected officials the need to support the current deal. We believe that the hostage families could play an important role in garnering public support to make the deal possible.”