Antony Blinken Emphasizes Support for Israel and Efforts to Free Hostages

The U.S. State Department announced that Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, told his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, that Washington will not spare any effort to secure the immediate release of all Israeli "hostages." According to reports, Blinken also spoke with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, and the two condemned Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel. In this context, Qatar is engaged in negotiations coordinated with the U.S. to secure the release of Israeli women and children kidnapped by the Hamas militant group in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons. Reuters reported this news on Monday, October 15, citing a "source familiar with the negotiations." In recent days, individuals affiliated with Hamas, which is supported by the Islamic Republic, announced that they had captured dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers. Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas's political bureau, later claimed that over 100 Israeli citizens, including "high-ranking military officials," had been detained and imprisoned in the Gaza Strip. On Saturday, Hamas, the militant group supported by the Islamic Republic, carried out terrorist attacks on Israeli soil, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. In response to these attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas. In the past three days, hundreds of locations in the Gaza Strip, which Israel claims are related to Hamas, have been bombed. Senior officials of the Islamic Republic have explicitly welcomed Hamas's terrorist attacks in the past three days and referred to them as a "victory." Hossein Aghaei: The game in the Middle East has changed; Israel has no choice but to destroy Hamas. Michael Pregent told Voice of America: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah have no special capabilities without the Iranian regime. Reports from two American media outlets indicate evidence of the Islamic Republic's involvement in Hamas's attacks; the U.S. government states that it has no evidence. The White House: The deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the region is a clear message to opportunists. A joint statement from the U.S. and four Western countries: Hamas has brought nothing but terror and bloodshed to the Palestinians.