The United States is committed to working for the return of citizens and permanent residents arrested abroad, said President Donald Trump's special envoy for Hostages, Adam Boehler.
The United States Department of State celebrated on Thursday a lifting ceremony of the hostages and detainees unfairly, reaffirming the commitment of the United States government to ensure the return of US citizens and permanent legal residents arrested abroad.
“Our policies are 100 % focused on people's return,” said Adam Boehler, special envoy from President Donald Trump for hostages. He added: “You will see some ads in the next few days,” without providing more details.
“President Trump is committed to bringing home to all Americans taken as hostages or detainees unfairly abroad. This includes Americans and all other hostages that Hamas still maintains as hostages in Gaza, ”said a state department spokesman for Voa.
“The efforts to bring them home are ongoing and are sensitive; We have no meeting to announce or read right now, ”said the spokesman.
On March 9, 18 years have passed since FBI's exagent Robert Levenson was kidnapped in Iran.
In recognition of this, Congress, with bipartisan support, appointed the flag of hostages and detainees unfairly in the National Defense Authorization Law for fiscal year 2024.
On Thursday, the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, said that Washington is determined to “eliminate zero” cases of unjust hostages and arrests, as well as to repatriate the remains of those who could not be taken home, through diplomatic and intelligence efforts.
The ceremony was held a day after Trump received eight exrehenes in the White House that had been held by the Hamas terrorist group, designated by the United States.
On Wednesday, the White House also confirmed that US officials have held conversations with Hamas. The conversations, held in Doha, Qatar, mark the first direct commitment between the United States and Hamas since the State Department appointed the group as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
Boehler directed the direct conversations with Hamas, which, as reported, focused on ensuring the release of US hostages and exploring a possible end of the war without Hamas in power in Gaza.
Among the hostages that are still in the possession of Hamas, five are US citizens, including Edan Alexander, 21, who believes is the last American-Israeli hostage that is still alive in Gaza.
His mother, Yael Alexander, spoke recently in the Plaza de los Haranes in Tel Aviv. “This is the simple truth: the situation with the hostages becomes more urgent every day,” he said.
“Now they are working in phase 2.“ We do not see it as a phase, we see it as the way to bring our son home. It doesn't matter what you call it; What matters is that there is an agreement to bring the remaining hostages home as soon as possible, ”he said.
This week, Israeli officials said that Israel is ready to advance with the second phase of a high fire agreement in Gaza, provided that Hamas agrees to free more than the 59 hostages that it still has retained.
(With information from The Associated Press and Reuters)