Relatives of people who continue to be held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip asked this Thursday (14) that the current president of the United States, Joe Biden, and the president-elect, Donald Trump, work on an agreement to release their relatives shortly.
The delegation of former hostages and relatives of hostages is in Rome for meetings involving the local Jewish community and Pope Francis.
During a press conference, they told reporters that a quick agreement was needed to free everyone still held in the Palestinian territory, more than a year after the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“We hope that Biden and Trump will work together to free our hostages before winter. It’s been very difficult for them, they can’t wait for another winter,” said Sharon Lifshitz.
Lifshitz’s mother, Yocheved, was released in October last year. But his father, Oded, remains in Gaza.
“This is not about left or right. Everyone should come together,” he said.
Norberto Louis Har, who was released in February by the Israeli armed forces, stated that he does not care about the fields of politics, only the release of those still held hostage.
The Vatican said that some of the participants in the meeting with Pope Francis showed posters with photos of their relatives, with their names and ages.
“The pope was very kind to us. He promised to continue praying for our people, to continue praying for each of the hostages,” Lifshitz said.
So far, 117 hostages have returned to their homes alive, including four who were released at the start of the war. But Israeli counts still count another 101 hostages in the Gaza Strip, at least half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israeli officials.
Last week, families of Americans being held hostage in Gaza released a statement calling on Donald Trump to work with Joe Biden to “secure the immediate release of the hostages and end this nightmare for the families of the hostages, Israel and the civilians of Gaza.”
This content was originally published in Families of Israeli hostages call on Trump and Biden to work together on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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