UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has expressed appreciation for the assistance of the Emir of Qatar for his efforts to secure the release of two Americans who had been held hostage in Gaza.
Guterres, in his statement by his Spokesperson Mr Stephane Dujarric on Saturday, renewed his call for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
“He calls once again for unhindered and sustained humanitarian access in Gaza; full respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians; as well as for concerted efforts by the international community to avoid a wider regional spill-over of the conflict,” said the statement.
Similarly, in a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden, thanked the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work.
“Jill and I have been holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted for Americans. And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week—we will not stop until we get their loved ones home.
“As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world..
“Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7,’’ he said.
The U.S. president said, “our fellow citizens had endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, adding that he is overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear.
“These individuals and their families will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.
“From the earliest moments of this attack, we have been working around-the-clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas, and we have not ceased our efforts to secure the release of those who are still being held.”