Biden calls on Egypt and Qatar to convince Hamas to agree to hostage deal with Israel
President Biden penned letters Friday to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, urging them to convince Hamas to release some of the terror group’s most vulnerable hostages that remain in captivity in Gaza.
Biden, 81, also asked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Than to ensure that Hamas abides by the terms of a deal that would see sick, wounded, elderly, and young female hostages released in exchange for a halt to Israel’s military operations in the region, according to a senior administration official.
The official added that national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with the families of some of the hostages at the White House on Monday.
The president’s missives to Egypt and Qatar come one day after he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “empower his negotiators” to reach a deal with Hamas “without delay” that would see hostages brought home, according to a readout of their call.
Biden’s requests come as talks are slated to take place in Cairo this weekend related to the ongoing stalemate.
The president has reportedly dispatched CIA Director Bill Burns to the region to participate in the discussions with Egyptian, Israeli and Qatari officials in the hopes that a breakthrough can be reached.
An estimated 134 hostages remain in Hamas custody in Gaza, including five US citizens.
For months, US lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, and family members of some of the hostages, have called on Biden to turn the screws on the international community in an effort to get more hostages out of Gaza.
“We are concerned that Qatar is not fully utilizing its leverage to seek further concessions from Hamas,” Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) wrote in a letter to Biden last December.
The senators noted that “Qatar maintains close ties with Hamas” and has “outsized access and influence with the group.”
Ernst and Rosen called on Biden to “make clear to Qatar that the United States is closely watching ongoing hostage negotiations and convey that Qatar’s inability to deliver on its commitments regarding the safe return of all remaining hostages will significantly impact bilateral relations.”
Their plea echoed calls from Ruby Chen, the father of 19-year-old Itay Chen, who was initially believed to be one of Hamas’ hostages until it was later determined that he had been killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“We feel that the United States, as the leader of the free world … maybe can pressure a bit more, specifically Egypt, Qatar, other players that have influence, in order to get a deal done, signed on the dotted line, to get the hostages out, which is a humanitarian crisis,” Ruby Chen told Fox News last December, three months before he found out his son had been murdered by the terror group.