Washington — White Home Nationwide Safety Advisor Jake Sullivan is about to satisfy Thursday with households of People taken hostage by Hamas, Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson John Kirby mentioned.
CNN first reported the assembly, which comes after the households have beforehand met with Sullivan, in response to the officers. Kirby mentioned they anticipate all of the households of these taken hostage to be on the assembly.
President Biden had a digital assembly with the households in October, after which met with households of hostages nonetheless held by Hamas final month. That assembly got here after a weeklong pause in preventing when greater than 100 hostages had been launched, together with two U.S. residents, one in every of whom was solely 4 years previous. In late December, the ultimate American girl believed to be among the many hostages, Judi Weinstein Haggai, was confirmed by Israel to have died.
The U.S. and Qatari-led Hostage diplomacy started in October with the discharge of two twin U.S.-Israeli hostages — a Chicago teenager and her mom. They had been launched in late October.
The hostage diplomacy was led by Qatar, which negotiated with Hamas, and Egypt leant some help as effectively. Hamas desires Israel to cease the bombardment of Gaza. Israel is demanding the discharge of all hostages, together with girls of navy age.
The U.S. believes there are as many as six U.S. hostages remaining.
Different senior members of the Biden administration, together with Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, have additionally met with the households.
Round 240 persons are believed to have been taken hostage amid the Hamas terrorist assault on Oct. 7, in response to Israeli officers.
Mr. Biden has pledged to work to carry the remaining American hostages house, saying in an announcement marking 100 days of the Israel-Hamas conflict earlier this week that “we are going to by no means cease working to carry People house.”
“I sit up for sustaining shut contact with my counterparts in Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to return all hostages house and again to their households,” he mentioned.
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer and a bipartisan group of senators held a press convention with some relations of People being held hostage on Wednesday. Schumer mentioned they had been making “essential progress” though he admitted it was “sluggish, sluggish, sluggish.”
“So we’re going to do all the pieces,” Schumer mentioned. “We are able to, we’re going to do all the pieces we are able to as a result of our hearts are damaged and we should, we should carry them house. All of them. I simply need to say to, to all of you, do not quit hope.”
Jon Polin, whose son was taken hostage at a music competition focused within the Oct. 7 assault, applauded the U.S. authorities’s efforts so far, however he urged extra motion.
“As People, we anticipate the USA — the best superpower within the historical past of the world — to make use of its full energy to safe the hostages’ launch,” he mentioned.
The FBI and State Division, together with the White Home, have continued to seek the advice of with the Israeli authorities on the hostages and efforts to dealer their launch. The Netanyahu authorities has confronted widespread protests in Israel by households of hostages who need the discharge of their family members prioritized amid the give attention to the warfighting.
On Friday, Sullivan’s hostage diplomacy efforts will proceed. He’ll meet with Anna Corbett, whose husband Ryan Corbett, a U.S. citizen, has been held by the Taliban since 2022 and is taken into account by the State Division to be wrongfully detained. The U.S. doesn’t acknowledge the Al Qaeda-linked Taliban as a official authorities in Afghanistan.
