US President Joe Biden has reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday.
“My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad,” Biden said on Sunday.
The Passover holiday, which commemorates the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, begins on Monday evening.
The ongoing Gaza war began after more than 1,200 people were killed in the massacre carried out by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups in Israel on October 7.
Numerous people were also taken hostage from Israel to the Gaza Strip. Until a few weeks ago, Israel had assumed that just under 100 of the 130 remaining hostages were still alive. However, it is now feared that significantly more of them may already be dead.
“This Passover falls particularly hard on hostage families trying to honour the spirit of the holiday — a story centered on freedom — while their loved ones remain in captivity,” Biden said.
The US President added that his administration was working “around the clock” to free the hostages as well as “an immediate and prolonged ceasefire” in Gaza that would see the release of hostages and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.
“We will continue to work toward a two-state solution that provides equal security, prosperity, and enduring peace for Israelis and Palestinians,” Biden said.
Negotiations mediated primarily by the US, Qatar and Egypt have so far failed.