Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States called in a joint statement for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza already longer than 200 days.
They said that the fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected by international law, causes concern of the international community.
“We emphasize that an agreement to release the hostages would bring about an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, which would allow for the delivery of additional much-needed humanitarian aid to be delivered throughout Gaza and lead to a reliable end to hostilities. Gazans would be able to return to their homes and to their properties with previously made preparations for providing shelter and humanitarian aid,” the statement states.
Serbia, along with 16 other countries, called on Hamas to release the hostages.
“We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts to bring our people home. We reiterate our call to Hamas to release the hostages and allow us to end this crisis so that we can jointly focus our efforts on establishing peace and stability in the region,” the statement concluded.
