Biden Admin Calls For Ceasefire, Negotiations Amid Gaza War

The Biden administration is calling for negotiations and ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas after four of the hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group on Oct. 7 were rescued in a joint operation by the Israeli Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency and the Israeli police.

In a statement reacting to the news of the rescue operation, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan bemoaned the people who were killed in the operation.

“The Israeli Defense Force has put out one number, and the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has put out another number. Innocent people were tragically killed in this operation. The exact number, we don’t know, but innocent people were killed,” he stated.

“That is heartbreaking, that is tragic, and the president himself has said in recent days that the Palestinian people are going through sheer hell in this conflict. Because Hamas is operating in a way that puts them in the crossfire, that holds hostages right in the heart of crowded civilian areas,” he continued.

Calling for an end to the hostilities between the two nations, Sullivan added, “Every day that we see more innocent people lost is another horrible, awful, tragic day. But there is only one answer to stop that from happening going forward, and that is a ceasefire and hostage deal that ends the military operations, brings the hostages home, and puts us in a position to give the Palestinians an opportunity for a better future for their people.”

The Biden admin official went on to say that the United States government “is supporting all efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas, including American citizens.”

“This includes through ongoing negotiations or other means. The hostage release and ceasefire deal that is now on the table would secure the release of all the remaining hostages together with security assurances for Israel and relief for the innocent civilians in Gaza,” he continued.

In the joint operation conducted on Saturday, 40-year-old Shlomi Ziv, 27-year-old Andrey Kozlov, 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan and 25-year-old Noa Argamani, who became the face of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, were rescued from two separate locations in Gaza.

According to the IDF, the four are in good condition and have been taken in for further medical examinations.

Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were rescued in a special operation by the IDF, ISA and Israel Police from 2 separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat after being kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival.

They are in good… pic.twitter.com/PnkjL4GRQz

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 8, 2024