Austin expressed concerns over rising tensions in Gaza and reaffirmed U.S. commitment to reaching a cease-fire deal that would see the remaining hostages freed.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Sept. 1 that Hamas leaders must be held accountable for the killing of six hostages in Gaza, who he said had been murdered in a vicious manner by the terrorist group.
Austin held a phone discussion with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sept. 1 following the recovery of the six hostagesâ bodies in an underground tunnel in Gazaâs Rafah. One of the hostages was 23-year-old U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
During their talk, Austin told Gallant that he was outraged by what the official call summary described as the âvicious, illegal, and immoral executionâ of the hostages by the Hamas terrorist group amid ongoing cease-fire negotiations.
He expressed concerns over the rising tensions in Gaza and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to reaching a deal that will result in the release of the remaining hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Gallant also reaffirmed Israelâs commitment to reaching such an agreement while emphasizing the âimportant roleâ of the United States in the negotiations. He noted that Israel remains âdetermined to eliminate Hamas leadership and assetsâ in the enclave, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The six hostages killed were Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, and Goldberg-Polin. Their bodies have since been sent back to Israel for burial, according to the IDF.
President Joe Biden called their deaths âtragicâ and âreprehensible,â saying his administration will continue to work on a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Biden said Goldberg-Polin had lost his arm while helping others during a Hamas attack at an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, before being kidnapped by the terrorist group.
âI am devastated and outraged,â Biden said in a statement on Aug. 31. âMake no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes.â
âNetanyahuâs response to our acceptance of the document presented by Biden was evasive, followed by the imposition of several new conditions. Netanyahu insisted on staying in Philadelphi and Netzarim [corridors] and refused to release our elderly prisoners serving life sentences,â al-Hayya said.
âWe are not interested in negotiating Netanyahuâs new conditions. The movement decides not to compromise on the July 2 proposal.â
Melanie Sun contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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