United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, provided an update on Sunday on the ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Sullivan emphasized that even with Israel’s recent actions on the ground, the top priority remains the safe return of the hostages.

“Even though we have started to see Israel move in on the ground, that has not changed our basic view that this has to remain of paramount priority,” Sullivan said.

The plight of the hostages’ families weighs heavily on the minds of U.S. officials. “It’s impossible to understand what they’re going through not knowing the fate of their loved ones,” said Sullivan.

“It’s something that weighs on us emotionally, but we are trying to stay as focused and as clear-eyed as possible in achieving the objective of bringing people home,” he added.

One of the strategies being pursued by the U.S. in this effort is the promotion of humanitarian pauses in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. These pauses aim to create windows of opportunity for the safe release of the hostages.

Sullivan further disclosed that the United States continues to work diligently to evacuate several hundred American citizens who wish to leave Gaza, though these efforts have been encountering significant roadblocks.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)