White House presses Israel on new hostage release deal, transitioning to lower intensity phase of war
Jake Sullivan told Israeli officials “we will continue to do everything we can to help broker another pause so that the remaining hostages can be reunited with their families,” NSC’s John Kirby.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed Israel transitioning to a lower intensity phase of its war against Hamas in talks with Israel’s war cabinet today, the White House said.
Sullivan “did talk about possible transitioning from what we would call high intensity operations, which is what we're seeing them do now, to lower intensity operations,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told journalists at the White House today (Dec. 14). “Sometime…in the near future. But I don’t want to put a timestamp on it.”
Sullivan also pressed Israel on considering another humanitarian pause to enable the release of more hostages being held in Gaza. Over 100 hostages are thought to still be held in Gaza, including as many as eight American Israeli dual citizens, whose family members met with President Biden at the White House on Wednesday.
Sullivan’s message in talks today with the Israeli war cabinet was “we will continue to do everything we can to help broker another pause so that the remaining hostages can be reunited with their families,” Kirby said.
Israeli media reported that the Israeli war cabinet this week nixed a planned trip by Mossad Director David Barnea to Qatar for discussions on another possible hostage release deal.
President Biden this week did not seem to rule out a potential risk to hostages being held in Gaza by reported plans by Israel to flood Hamas’ tunnel network under Gaza with sea water.
“There are assertions being made that there are no hostages in any of these tunnels,” Biden said Tuesday. “But I don’t know that for a fact.”
It’s “not beyond possibility that Hamas could be holding at least some of them (hostages) in tunnels as they move them around,” the NSC’s Kirby told journalists at the White House briefing on Wednesday (Dec. 13). “Some of the hostages that have come out …said that they were held in tunnels.”
Relatives of the American hostages kidnapped and taken to Gaza on Oct. 7 praised Biden and his team for making hostage recovery a top priority and being in frequent communication with them.
Liz Naftali, the great aunt of four year old Israeli American toddler Abigal mor Idan, who was freed in a hostage deal last month negotiated by the U.S., Israel, Qatar and Egypt, said her great niece is a miracle.
“What I can tell you is that Abigail is a miracle,” Naftali told journalists after meeting Biden at the White House on Wednesday. “She is a light in this very dark time.”
“We are thankful to the president and to his team because we know that they are working 24 hours a day…and they are going to do everything they can to make sure that all of our loved ones, real people, come home to us, and to the families across the world and in Israel,” Naftali said.
Some Israeli hostage families have reportedly expressed the concern that the Israeli government has been prioritizing combat operations over securing the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Israeli officials have previously suggested that their military pressure is what was convincing Hamas to release hostages, rather than a negotiated arrangement. But not a single hostage has been freed or released since a seven day humanitarian pause collapsed two weeks ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after meeting Sullivan today, rejected that he was not prioritizing hostage recovery, even if that goal may be in tension with military operations to eliminate Hamas.
“I would like to clarify: The return of our hostages is a main goal,” Netanyahu said. “We are not relenting in our efforts.”
While the White House said Sullivan in Israel discussed a humanitarian pause, and Israel transitioning to lower intensity operations in the near future, Netanyahu stressed Israeli resolve to achieve “absolute victory.”
“We are more determined than ever to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated—until absolute victory,” Netanyahu said.
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