Joint Statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom,
Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark,
France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia,
Spain, Thailand and the United States, calling for the release of
the hostages held in Gaza:
We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by
Hamas in Gaza for over 200 days. They include our
own citizens. The fate of the hostages and the civilian
population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is
of international concern.
We emphasize that the deal on the table to release the hostages
would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza,
that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary
humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead
to the credible end of hostilities. Gazans would be able to
return to their homes and their lands with preparations
beforehand to ensure shelter and humanitarian provisions.
We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts in order to
bring our people home. We reiterate our call on Hamas
to release the hostages, and let us end this crisis so
that collectively we can focus our efforts on bringing peace
and stability to the region.
