United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the best way to free all the hostages from Gaza is through a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, but if the parties fail to reach an agreement, Washington will prioritize the liberation of the American hostages.
"Our commitment, my commitment, my priority is always going to be on American citizens wherever they're in harm's way. If they're being unjustly detained, if they're being held hostage, my number-one responsibility is to do everything I can to get them out of harm's way," the secretary pointed out in an interview with NBC News.
Furthermore, Blinken blamed Hamas and the group's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, for delaying a definite response and assured that Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu support the ceasefire proposal currently on the table. "It's time for the haggling to stop, it's time for a ceasefire to start," he concluded.
