Biden, Blinken Say US Won’t Rest Until All Hostages Released as Israel-Hamas War Enters Day 101

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said his country will keep pushing to rescue all remaining hostages in Gaza Strip, which also includes six Americans, as the 2023 Israel-Hamas war marked 100 days since its onset on October 7.

“100 days of captivity in Gaza is far too long. The United States will not rest until all remaining hostages, including six Americans, are reunited with their loved ones,” Blinken said in a tweet on Sunday night (local time).

Earlier, US President Joe Biden acknowledged “a devastating and tragic milestone” for the hostages and reiterated that the US will “never stop working to bring Americans home”.

“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100,” Biden said.

The war between Israel and Hamas reached a grim milestone of 100 days on Sunday. Palestinian civilians continue to die in Gaza while relatives of dozens of Israeli hostages await the freedom of their loved ones who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 when it launched a terrorist attack killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. There were also casualties in the West Bank, and on the Israel-Lebanon border.

Incessant bombing allegedly aimed at destroying Hamas has turned the coastal strip to rubble and has created a humanitarian catastrophe for the 2.4 million people in Hamas-ruled Gaza, according to the UN and other aid groups. The UN says roughly 85% of the territory’s population have been displaced — crowded into shelters and struggling to get food, water, fuel and medical care.

Hamas seized about 250 hostages, 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including at least 25 believed to have been killed. Israel’s relentless military campaign killed at least 23,968 people in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure from the kin of the hostages and is being pressured to ensure their safe return. He is also under intense domestic pressure to account for political and security failings surrounding the initial attack, and is also on trial for corruption charges, which he denies.

His defence minister, Yoav Gallant, vowed earlier Sunday: “We will not let the world forget. We will not leave them behind”.

On Sunday, Israeli citizens in Tel Aviv held a protest event where they danced, sang and prayed to mark the 100 days of captivity for the Gaza hostages. “I don’t think we imagined a situation where we would be here on the 100th day,” Gili Dvash Yeshurun, who attended the commemoration, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

Israel’s trade union federation, the Histadrut, said hundreds of thousands of workers joined a 100-minute strike to pressure the government into securing the release of the hostages.

Hamas released video footage claiming hostages are alive in its custody in Gaza while its spokesperson said many of the hostages are likely to have been killed recently. Abu Obeida, Hamas spokesman, blamed Israel for the deaths. “The enemy’s leadership and army bear full responsibility,” he said in a televised statement.

In the video footage, one woman and two men appear talking in Hebrew calling on the Israeli authorities to act for their return home. It was unclear when the footage was filmed.