Biden Deputy NatSec Adviser says captives deal 'closer than ever': CNN
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Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer was interviewed by Jake Tapper on CNN regarding the situation with Israeli captives.
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Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer during his interview with Jake Tapper on CNN (CNN)
Jonathan Finer, Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser, spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper on the administration's progress in striking an agreement for the release of Israeli captives.
During the interview, Finer called Qatar's efforts at mediating a release agreement "extremely close," adding that the US has been following the situation "minute by minute, hour by hour, up to the level of the President."
Qatar's Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, revealed, on Sunday, that a deal to free Israeli captives is facing "minor" practical issues, explaining that "The challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor compared to the bigger challenges, they are more logistical, they are more practical," Al Thani told a joint press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Qatar has played a role in mediating talks to free some of the Israeli captives, approximately 240 in total. The efforts have resulted in the release of four captives so far.
The Palestinian Resistance still insists on the release of Palestinian Women and children from Israeli prisons to make a similar move.
The United States is seemingly working to facilitate a deal between "Israel" and Hamas, following reports of a tentative agreement, which the White House has denied. The negotiations aim to achieve a temporary cessation of hostilities, with the release of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons in exchange. However, "Israel" has maintained its stance of not agreeing to a ceasefire until all Israeli captives are released.
Finer called the situation an overriding priority since many Americans were involved, explaining that since the negotiations began, "we think that we are closer than we have ever been perhaps."
The adviser affirmed that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," emphasizing that there is "no deal currently in place."
Speaking on behalf of the administration, he pledged the US would upkeep its efforts to "Get these people home" particularly considering the "dangerous situation in Gaza."
He failed to mention the dangerous situation in Gaza is essentially the relentless attacks initiated by the Israeli occupation which blatantly has disregarded its own people's life.
On Friday, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Resistance movement, announced that it transported several Israeli captives to care centers due to their dire health condition after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the captives were in Gaza's hospitals.
The Al-Qassam Brigades underlined that Israeli captive Arye Zalmanovich, whose ID number is 0010185791, was recently taken to a care center because of the habitual panic attacks he would suffer due to the repeated Israeli bombings where he was being held captive.
Zalmanovich was receiving medical attention in captivity, with Al-Qassam sharing footage of him before his death, wherein medical personnel were tending to him.
He kept having panic attacks until they got too much and he wound up dying because of one.
Thousands of Israelis protest for captives release in 'Tel Aviv'
Families and supporters of the 240 Israeli captives rallied on Saturday morning in "Tel Aviv" to call on the regime to act immediately on the release of captives, Israeli news agencies reported.
At least 25,000 settlers are estimated to be participating in the march which kicked off in "Tel Aviv."
Protesters are marching towards occupied Al-Quds where the Israeli Prime Minister's office is located.
The families of Israeli captives have doubled down efforts to exert pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu's government amid conflicting information about a potential prisoner swap deal with Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.
Israeli settlers marching en masse from Tel Aviv to occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) to protest against the regime for not exchanging prisoners. pic.twitter.com/fYgBJTda0e
— Arya - آریا 🇮🇷 (@AryJeay) November 18, 2023
