Biden Pushes For Peace in Hostage Speech — Says Terrorists Attacked Oct. 7 Because They Fear Peace

President Joe Biden pushed for a renewed focus on a two-state solution as he spoke about hostages who were about to be released in a deal between Israel and Hamas.

After a lot of anticipation, news broke Tuesday night that a deal between Israel and Hamas — negotiated by international partners including Qatar, Egypt, and the United States — to release 50 hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for a four-day humanitarian “pause” in the fighting and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.

On Friday, President Biden took to the lectern at the White Elephant Nantucket in Nantucket, Massachusetts to speak about the first group of hostages to be released under the deal:

Yesterday, families all across America gathered together with their loved ones and to — to give thanks.

We have much to be thankful for in America: the food on our tables, the family and loved ones in our homes, and the many blessings that come from living in the greatest nation on Earth.

And today, we can also be thankful of families being recruited and reunited with loved ones who have been held hostage for nearly 50 days.

Beginning this morning, under a deal reached by extensive U.S. diplomacy, including numerous calls I’ve made from the Oval Office to leaders across the region, fighting in Gaza will halt for four days.

This deal also is structured to allow a pause to continue for more than 50 hostages to be released. That’s our goal.

This morning, I’ve been engaged with my team as we began the first difficult days of implementing this deal.
It is only a start, but, so far, it’s gone well. Earlier this morning, 13 Israeli hostages were released, including an elderly woman — a grandmother — and mothers with their young children, some under the age of six years old.

Separately, several Thai nationals and Filipino nationals who were also kidnapped by Hamas on the 7th, they were released as well.

All of these hostages have been through a terrible ordeal, and this is the beginning of a long journey of healing for them.

The teddy bears waiting to greet those children at the hospital are a stark reminder of the trauma these children have been through and at such a very young age.

Jill and I — and Jill is with me here — are keeping them all in our prayers today.

Today — today has been the product of a lot of hard work and weeks of personal engagement.

From the moment Hamas kidnapped these people, I, along with my team, have worked around the clock to secure their release.

We saw the first results of this effort with the release of two American hostages in late October followed by the release of two Israeli hostages.

I have consistently pressed for a pause in the fighting for two reasons: to accelerate and expand the humanitarian assistance going into Gaza and, two, to facilitate the release of hostages.

And over the past several weeks, I’ve spoken repeatedly with the Emir of Qatar, the President Sisi of Egypt, and Prime Minister Netanya- — Netanyahu of Israel to help secure this deal — to nail it down. And I want to thank all three leaders for their personal partnership to get this done.

I spoke with the Emir and President El-Sisi and the Prime Minister Netanyahu again on Wednesday to confirm the elements of the engagement.

As I said, today’s release are the start of a process. We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow and more the day after and more the day after that. Over the next few days, we expect that dozens of hostages will be returned to their families.

We also remember all those who are still being held and renew our commitment to work for their release as well. Two American women and one four-year-old child, Abigail, who remains among those missing.

We also will not stop until we get these hostages brought home and an answer to their whereabouts.

I remain in personal contact with the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to make sure this stays on track and every aspect of the deal is implemented.

You know, this extended pause in the fighting brings a critical opportunity to deliver much-needed food, medicine, water, and fuel to the civilians in Gaza, and we are not wasting one single minute.

Since my trip to Israel last month, I’ve been focused on accelerating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in coordination with the United Nations and the Red Cross.

I just spoke with my Special Envoy for the Middle East Humanitarian Issues, David Satterfield, for an update, and I’ve asked him to monitor our progress hour by hour and keep me personally informed.

From the beginning, we have put in place mechanisms to prevent Hamas from diverting these supplies, and we are continuing that effort to make sure aid gets to the people who need it.

More than 200 trucks arrived at the crossing point in Egypt into Gaza today. These trucks carry food and medicine, as well as fue- — fuel and cooking gas. The fuel will be used not only to power the trucks delivering these lifesaving supplies but for desalinization, for water wells, for hospitals, and for bakeries.

And hundreds more trucks are getting in position as well, ready to enter Gaza over the coming days to support the innocent Palestinians who are suffering greatly because of this war that Hamas has unleashed. Hamas doesn’t give a damn about them.

We also look to the future. As we look to the future, we have to end this cycle of violence in the Middle East.

We need to renew our resolve to pursue this two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can one day live side by side in a two-state solution with equal measure of freedom and dignity.

Two states for two peoples. And it’s more important now than ever.

Hamas unleashed this terrorist attack because they fear nothing more than Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace.

You know, to continue down the path of terror and violence and killing and war is to give Hamas what they seek. And we can’t do that.

So, today, let’s continue to be thankful for all the families who are now and those who will soon be brought together again.

And I want to one — once again thank the Emir of Qatar, President Sisi of Egypt, and Prime Minister Netanyahu for their partnership to make what we’ve done so far possible and for their continued leadership as we all keep working to implement this deal.

And over the coming days, I’ll remain engaged with leaders throughout the Middle East as we all work together to build a better future for the region — a future where this kind of violence is unthinkable; a future where all children in the region — every child — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab — grow up knowing only peace. That’s what we do.

We’re waiting now — it’ll be just a matter of — I thought maybe even as soon as by the time I got here. But in the next hour or so, we’ll know what the second wave of releases are. And I’m hopeful that it’s — it’s as — as we anticipate.

Watch above via C-SPAN.