Hostage families seek foreign pressure for Gaza cease re
Hostages and Missing Families Forum tells govts. that ‘this is the time to exert in…uence on the Israeli government and all other parties concerned to ensure that the agreement comes through’
Agence France-Presse
Families of hostages held in Gaza have urged the United States and other governments with citizens among the captives to pressure Israel to strike a deal with Hamas for their return.
Following indications on Monday of progress in talks towards a truce in the seven-month war, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it had appealed to a number of countries to “exert your inuence on the Israeli government” and push for an agreement.
“At this crucial moment, while a tangible opportunity for the release of the hostages is on the table, it is of the utmost importance that your government manifest its strong support for such an agreement,” the group said in a message sent to the Ambassadors of all countries with citizens among the hostages seized by Palestinian militants on October 7.
“This is the time to exert your inuence on the Israeli government and all other parties concerned to ensure that the agreement comes through which will nally bring all our loved ones home.”
During the October 7 attack that sparked the brutal war in Gaza, Palestinian militants seized around 250 hostages, who included foreigners and dual nationals, among them U.S., Thai, French, British and Russian citizens.
Hostage families have been among those pressing through repeated protests for Israel to reach a deal with Hamas to bring home the captives.
No breakthrough
Despite months of shuttle diplomacy, mediators have so far failed to broker a new truce like the weeklong ceasere that saw 105 hostages released last November, the Israelis among them in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Previous negotiation efforts had stalled in part because of Hamas’s demand for a lasting ceasere and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vows to crush its remaining ghters in Rafah.
Agence France-Presse
President Vladimir Putin vowed at a lavish inauguration on Tuesday to deliver victory to Russians, embarking on a record-breaking fth term with more power than ever.
Mr. Putin, however, conceded that Russia was going through a “dicult” period, an apparent reference to the unprecedented sanctions packages the West has imposed on Moscow for having launched full-scale military hostilities in Ukraine more than two years ago.
The 71-year-old Kremlin chief has ruled Russia since the turn of the century, securing a fresh six-year mandate in March after winning presidential elections devoid of all opposition.
The highly-orchestrated inauguration ceremony, which included a military procession and Orthodox
Vladimir Putin, right, and Russia's Orthodox Patriarch Kirill attend a service in Moscow on Tuesday.
prayer service, was broadcast live on major Russian television channels.
European countries including Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic signalled they would not send representatives amid soured tensions over the conict in Ukraine.
“We are a united and great nation, and together we will overcome all obstacles, realise everything we have planned, and together, we will win,” the Russian
leader said after being sworn in to oce.
Mr. Putin, who has said his forces will be victorious in Ukraine, whatever the cost, said the country would emerge “with dignity and become even stronger”. After standing alone in the rain and overseeing columns of armed guards and calvary parade in ceremonial uniform, Mr. Putin was blessed by the leader of the Orthodox Chuch, Patriarch Kirill.