white house –

The families of Israeli hostages in the United States are demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying it is the only way to win the release of their loved ones who have been held captive by Hamas since its attack on Israel on October 7.

The families told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that they were working with the Biden administration to “encourage all of our political parties to reach a deal.”

Jonathan Deckerchan, the father of American hostage Saji Deckerchan, said only by doing so can the “horror” experienced by Gaza civilians over the past six months come to an end.

Earlier on Tuesday, the White House updated the families of the victims on the Biden administration’s efforts to secure the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris.

“The Vice President emphasized that the President [Joe] Biden and she have nothing more important than reuniting the hostages with their loved ones. ” white house readings meeting. “She also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to bringing home the remains of those who tragically lost their lives.”

The United States is urging Hamas to accept a deal with Israel to halt fighting in Gaza for six weeks and release some of the more than 130 hostages held by the U.S.-designated terror group in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians it holds.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that a “very serious” proposal was made to Hamas in Cairo over the weekend that “should be accepted.”

“The ball is in Hamas’s court,” Blinken said. “The whole world is watching to see what it does.”

The family of one of the hostages has resisted efforts to separate the release of the hostages from the de-escalation of the military situation in Gaza.

“The two things have to be tied together. Jonathan Polin, the father of U.S. hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, said discussions about the region should not end with ‘133 The hostages must go home’ at the beginning. 7.

The families of the hostages expressed sympathy for the Palestinians in Gaza.

“You can believe, as we do, that innocent civilians in Gaza are suffering, and it’s horrific,” said Hersh Goldberg-Paulin’s mother, Rachel Goldberg. “At the same time, you can also know that holding hostages against their will is horrific and contrary to international law.”

An attack by Hamas on October 7 killed approximately 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage.

As of mid-February, 112 hostages had been released, most during a week-long ceasefire in November, and 36 hostages are believed to have died or been killed during six months of fighting in Gaza.

No ceasefire after Ramadan ends

President Biden initially set the start of Ramadan, which begins on March 10, as the deadline for another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan, responding to questions from VOA at a White House press conference on Tuesday, blamed Hamas for the Muslim fasting month that ends on Wednesday without a ceasefire.

“This is the moment when the world should say to Hamas: ‘It’s time. Let’s go. Let’s have a ceasefire,” he said. “We are ready. I believe Israel is ready and I think Hamas should come to the table and be ready to do the same.”

Sullivan said that as of Tuesday morning, Qatari negotiators facilitating ceasefire talks had not received a response from Hamas on whether it would accept the latest U.S. offer made by CIA Director Bill Burns in Cairo over the weekend.

The proposal comes days after a tense phone call between Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the US president pressured the Israeli prime minister to “authorize his negotiators to immediately reach an agreement to bring the hostages home” .

Jonathan Ringhold, chairman of the political studies department at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, said that from Israel’s perspective, Netanyahu has flexibility in negotiating the number of Palestinian terrorists released.

“There is much less flexibility when it comes to permanent ceasefires and things that Israel believes will give Hamas a military advantage,” he told VOA.

Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military said thousands of Hamas fighters were among the victims.