A dual American Israeli citizen, Liat Beinin, 49, was among 12 Israeli and four Thai hostages released Wednesday. President Biden wrote of her release, “Jill and I are deeply gratified that she will soon be reunited with her three children and her father, who have been wracked with worry for her safety.”
The Biden administration is concerned that an upcoming Israeli offensive in southern Gaza, once the pause in fighting ends, will result in thousands more Palestinian civilian casualties, derail further hostage releases and disrupt the flow of humanitarian aid, senior officials told The Washington Post.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders regarding efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages and speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza during a visit to Israel and the West Bank this week, a spokesman said Wednesday.
More than 13,300 people have been killed in Gaza and 35,180 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The death count is incomplete because health officials can’t tally the dead at two of the enclave’s large hospitals or account for bodies under the rubble. At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.