Israeli hostage families urge Joe Biden to push Netanyahu to agree ceasefire

Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have penned a letter to Joe Biden, urging him to push Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to agree to a ceasefire deal.

“We encourage you to use the means available to you, to press and convince all parties, including the Israeli prime minister, to agree to the deal that you assess is reasonable,” reads the letter sent to the US President by nearly 600 relatives of the 81 Israelis who remain hostages.

The letter also said the hostages’ relatives were “increasingly frustrated” and concerned about Mr Netanyahu’s handling of the situation and “commitment … to the hostage release cause”.

“They are suffering physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, hunger and an immediate risk to their lives,” the letter reads. “They are dying with every passing hour and day.”

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on to nearly six months, people whose loved ones were taken as hostages on Oct 7 – when a devastating Hamas terrorist attack sparked conflict – have been living in agony.

By urging Mr Biden to press Mr Netanyahu, the letter reflects growing dissatisfaction with the Israeli prime minister’s handling of the war.

Families of hostages have for many months tried to keep their message apolitical, in order to have a wide base of public support.

But as war continues, doubts have grown over which outcome dominates Mr Netanyhu’s priority list – eradicating Hamas or bringing home hostages.

Some hostages were released late last year during a week-long truce, though many others remained under Hamas’s control.

Contentious talks in Doha

The letter comes as officials from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the US meet in Doha to continue negotiations for a ceasefire deal.

Ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas have been contentious, and have not yet produced a second – or more lasting ceasefire – as the two sides have stuck to their conflicting demands.

Israel has called for the release of all remaining hostages before a truce, while Hamas has said that a truce must be reached before the release of any hostages.

Meanwhile, Israel has vocalised plans to bombard Rafah, in southern Gaza, the last remaining enclave where millions of Palestinians have sought shelter after Israeli military attacks pushed them from the north part of the Strip to the south.

World leaders and aid organisations have urged Israel to hold fire on Rafah, to avoid making an already-catastrophic humanitarian disaster worse.

Many nations have urged the US, Israel’s staunchest ally, to press Mr Netanyahu to back off on Rafah.

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