Israeli Officials Say There Is No Ceasefire Amid US and Qatar Efforts to Free Hostages Held by Hamas

JAKARTA - A senior Israeli official said there would be no ceasefire during efforts to free hostages held by Hamas, while the United States hopes that more hostages will be released.

The United States and Qatar are known to be working to free more than 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas. They are thought to be in Gaza.

The official was 'unaware' of Washington's call to delay ground operations into Gaza, saying both Israel and the United States wanted all hostages released as soon as possible.

"Humanitarian efforts must not be allowed to impact the mission to dismantle Hamas," he told CNN as quoted on October 23.

Tel Aviv agreed to Washington's request to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip which has been under a tight siege for two weeks.

"Even though it is not popular in Israel," the official said.

Separately, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that President Joe Biden's administration was talking to the Israeli government regularly about the Gaza situation.

"We both want to make sure as many of the hostages that are being held can come home, and that's why we're working on it, as I said, almost every minute of every day," Secretary of State Blinken said on NBC's 'Meet the Press'.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Blinken further said that of the 10 Americans who had not been found, some were believed to be hostages, but he did not provide an exact number.

"We don't know why Hamas chose to release Natalie and Judith (Raanan) first. Once again, we hope that more will follow," he hoped, referring to the release of the mother and child by Hamas Friday night.

"What we don't know for sure is whether some of the people who have not been found are dead and have not been found, or whether they are being held hostage. But we have a strong suspicion that there are at least 10 people being held in Gaza by Hamas," explained Minister of Foreign Affairs Blinken.

He added that Uncle Sam's country remains worried about the potential for escalation by Iranian proxies and is ready to face this possibility.

"We are taking steps to ensure that we can defend our people effectively and respond firmly if necessary. This is not what we want, not what we are looking for. We do not want escalation," he said.

As previously reported, Israeli military (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that his party had so far informed the families of 212 hostages regarding their detention in the Gaza Strip.

However, he said the number was not final because the military was continuing to investigate new information about those who were missing, as quoted by The Times of Israel.