Vice President Kamala Harris meets with families of hostages held by Hamas
Last edited Tue Apr 9, 2024, 05:22 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CBS News
Updated on: April 9, 2024 / 5:01 PM EDT
Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday met with families of the hostages believed to be held by Hamas, updating the families after CIA Director William Burns participated in hostage talks in Cairo over the weekend.
Five Americans remain unaccounted for and are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas during the attacks, after Israel announced last month that Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier with dual Israeli-U.S. nationality, was confirmed dead. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that while Burns was in Cairo, there was a "marathon" session late into the night with the U.S., Israel, Qatar and Egypt, with Qatar and Egypt communicating with Hamas.
Sullivan said that although public statements by Hamas have been "less than encouraging," the parties are waiting to secure an answer from Hamas about a hostage proposal.
The administration has made it clear that it will continue to work for the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas six months after the militant group's attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Harris, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, said he came to encourage all sides to make a deal.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-hostage-families-meeting/
Article updated.
Original article/headline -
April 9, 2024 / 12:46 PM EDT
Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris is set to meet on Tuesday with families of hostages believed to be held by Hamas since the attack on Israel six months ago on Oct. 7.
Five Americans remain unaccounted for and are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas during the attacks, after Israel announced last month that Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier with dual Israeli-U.S. nationality, was confirmed dead. The administration has made clear that it will continue to work for the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas six months after the militant group's attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Harris is set to meet with families on Tuesday, after she did so in late October. The families of the hostages met with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday.
One of the family members, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh is being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, said Sunday on "Face the Nation" before a meeting at the White House that it is a "failure" of global leaders and governments involved in hostage negotiations that her son and more than 130 others have been left in captivity for six months.
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