Israeli-American hostage Gadi Haggai has been declared dead

Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A fiery article in the revolutionary newspaper of the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran earlier this month threatened the U.S. and its assets, as well as its allies, in the Middle East.

According to the Dec. 11 article titled "Maximum Pressure With A ‘Balance Of Horror And Fear,'" the paper Kayhan wrote, "Today, in adherence to Imam [Khomeini's] school of thought, the only way to confront America's belligerent policy, and to deter and isolate the Zionist regime, is to apply maximum pressure by means of 'a balance of horror and fear.'’

The Islamic Republic tends to not refer to the Jewish state as Israel but to use the phrase "Zionist regime" in a pejorative sense of the Middle East’s only democracy.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was the first supreme leader of the Islamic Republic after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Ali Khamenei, the current supreme leader of Iran’s clerical regime, uses the newspaper Kayhan to express his views and thinking. The Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) first located and translated the Kayhan article from Farsi into English.

Iran’s proxies have intensified their attacks on American forces since Tehran’s strategic partner, Hamas, invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 people, including over 30 Americans in southern Israel.

Kayhan boasted in its article that Khomeini developed the "horror and fear" strategy to fight the West and urged attacks on U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf. According to Kayhan, Iran "has now created a powerful, effective, and viable means of deterrence in the Persian Gulf and in international waters, and has forced its will on the Americans."

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Calls for horror and fear are despicable and dangerous. The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but as the Biden Administration has shown, the United States will do what is necessary to defend itself, its people, and its interests from threats emanating from Iran."

The spokesperson added, "We have made clear in public and private messaging to Iran that it should not escalate or widen the conflict – or take advantage of the current situation. And our bolstered presence in the region, including the arrival of two aircraft carrier groups, is a clear message to any actor in the region – be it nation-state or otherwise – that this is not a time to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas to widen this conflict."

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A liberal arts professor at the University of Minnesota called for people to "dismantle" and "decolonize" America during a pro-Palestinian event.

Earlier this month, University of Minnesota liberal arts professor Melanie Yazzie took the stage with several other speakers as part of the anti-capitalist Native American advocacy group the Red Nation's "teach-in" on the Israel-Hamas war.

During the pro-Palestinian event, Yazzie made several controversial comments, including early on when she said she wanted a takeaway from the event to be that "we're all indigenous people who come from nations who are under occupation by the United States government."

"And, of course, the U.S. bankrolls the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land," Yazzie continued. "They're one and the same, really."

"So it's our responsibility as people who are within the United States to go as hard as possible to decolonize this place, because that will reverberate all across the world," Yazzie said. "Because the U.S. is the greatest predator empire that has ever existed."

Yazzie said that she and her comrades "want [the] U.S. out of everywhere," including "Palestine" and "Turtle Island" — a name used by some Native American tribes to describe North America.

"And that the goal is to dismantle the settler project that is the United States for the freedom and the future of all life on this planet," Yazzie said. "It very much depends on that."

AP Photo/Leo Correa

The ongoing war in the Middle East between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists has killed more than 20,000 people, according to officials.

Health officials in Gaza, of which the government is run by Hamas, said Friday that Israeli forces have killed more than 20,000 Palestinians. The Gazan health ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

The Gazan health ministry also said more than 50,000 people were wounded.

Israel has blamed Hamas for the high civilian death toll in Gaza, pointing to the terror group’s use of crowded residential areas for military purposes and its tunnels under urban areas.

Israel declared war after Hamas terrorists attacked the Jewish State on Oct. 7, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 240 people hostage. Israel has said it would continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed and removed from power in Gaza and all the hostages are released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Oil prices are on the rise amid attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Prices are at around $80 a barrel, which is far lower than prices were when Russia invaded Ukraine. Oil futures had then jumped to more than $100 a barrel.

The prices have remained low since June 2022. Prices spiked after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, but have since been declining.

"Oil prices have fallen since October 7th, and that seems counter-intuitive if you consider how much oil is produced in the nations adjacent to and nearby to Israel," Managing Director of Clearview Energy Partners Kevin Book said.

Israel is located near oil and gas giants — Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. It is also surrounded by key oil trade routes.

"The market does not appear to believe there's going to be risks to regional transportation or production. The risks to production may be diminished because Saudi Arabia and Iran are currently getting along," Book said. "But the risks to transportation look very real. So the market may not be counting as much risk as there could be."

The Strait of Hormuz is often thought as the most important oil chokepoint. Nearly 1/5th of the oil the world consumes passes through the strait on a daily basis.

"People are particularly looking at Iran and Iran affiliated groups to see if this conflict will expand and will expand to that area in particular," American Exploration and Production Council CEO Anne Bradbury said. "That would certainly cause some much more significant supply disruptions in the global crude market than what we've seen thus far."

Fox News' Bret Baier and Amy Munneke contributed to this report.

Pierre Krahenbuhl,then-Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), speaks to the media in Gaza City in 2019. REUTERS/Nidal Almughrabi

The Red Cross on Friday announced the appointment of Pierre Krahenbuhl, the former head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, as its next director-general. 

Krahenbuhl, who has more than three decades of experience in the humanitarian sector,  is currently the secretary-general to the assembly at the International Committee of the Red Cross, the agency said in a news release. 

"He is recognized as a strategic and purpose-driven leader with deep organizational experience and dedication to the ICRC,” the Red Cross said. 

In 2014, Krahenbuhl was appointed commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. 

He resigned in 2019 amid an internal investigation following allegations of mismanagement and ethical abuses, The Times of Israel reported.

He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. Krahenbuhl will begin his new position on April 1, 2024. 

During a heated exchange on British journalist Piers Morgan’s talk show about Israel, New York Post  columnist Douglas Murray blasted "The Young Turks" host Cenk Uygur as a "low-rent racist" and a "low-grade thug." 

Murray also accused the pro-Palestinian commentator of only caring about defending innocent people when it involves slamming Jewish people.

Appearing on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on Thursday, both Murray and Uygur went toe-to-toe on the Israel-Hamas war, which devolved into insults and intense rebukes exchanged between the two men opposed to each other over the conflict.

Murray, who has recently visited Gaza to cover Israel’s offensive into that territory following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, defended the Jewish state’s war effort in the argument with Uygur , who alleged that Israel is killing innocent Palestinians. 

After going back and forth over whether Israel doesn’t care about how many innocent Palestinians are killed in its war, Murray took the gloves off, telling Morgan, "Your other guest, I mean, I don’t know what kind of creature he is. He’s a kind of low-grade thug, as far as I can see.

He’s listened to nothing I’ve said.

"Uygur interjected, saying, "Yeah, yeah. I know, because I’m Muslim. That’s what you call all Muslims. I got it, racist."

Read the full article from Gabriel Hays. 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a news conference at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 11 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

A two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians “is the only path to sustainable peace,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday. 

“Any suggestion otherwise denies human rights, dignity and hope to the Palestinian people,” he wrote on X. 

The U.N. has had previous resolutions endorsing a Palestinian state and Israel has proposed such a plan several times in past years. Guterres’ post came hours after a U.N. Security Council resolution vote passed calling for increased aid to civilians in Gaza. 

He has called for a humanitarian cease-fire in an effort to ensure much-needed aid is delivered. 

Gadi Haggai and his wife Judi. (Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum)

President Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were “heartbroken” that an American hostage being held by Hamas has died. 

Gad Haggai, 73, an Israeli-American, is believed to have been killed by the terror group. He is the first American hostage to have died in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

His wife, Judi, who also has American citizenship, remains captive in Gaza. 

“Today, we are praying for their four children, seven grandchildren, and other loved ones and are grieving this tragic news with them,” Biden said in a statement. 

In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum described Haggai as a man “full of humor who knew how to make those around him laugh. A musician at heart, a gifted flutist, he played in the IDF Orchestra and was involved with music his whole life.” 

Biden said he spoke with the couple’s daughter by phone his meeting with the families of hostages last week. 

He also reaffirmed his pledged to the families that “we will not stop working to bring them home.” 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speak to reporters prior to a meeting in Tel Aviv Israel Nov. 30. Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday.

Among the issues discussed were efforts to ensure the release of hostage being held captive by Hamas and increasing humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

“Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of measures to prevent the conflict from expanding, including affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon,” Miller said.

Blinken also said that Israel must take possible measures to avoid harming civilians.

He also “and underscored the U.S. commitment to promoting tangible steps toward the realization of a future Palestinian state,” according to Miller.

A Houthi fighter stands on the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS

Iran is “deeply involved” in helping Yemen’s Houthi rebels plan attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, the White House said Friday. 

Newly declassified intelligence assessments show that “Iranian support throughout the Gaza crisis has enabled the Houthis to launch attacks against Israel and maritime targets, though Iran has often deferred operational decision-making authority to the Houthis,” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. 

The Houthis would struggle track and strike vessels along the waterway, Watson said. 

“ Iranian support to these Houthi operations remains critical,” Watson said. “We know the intelligence picture which the Houthis use to operate in the maritime space is reliant on Iranian-provided monitoring systems.” 

Iran has long backed the Houthis, providing them with training, funding and military weapons and equipment. The group has disrupted global shipping with a series of attacks on container ships in the Red Sea. 

Some companies have paused operation along the trade route altogether.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The United Nations Security Council chamber sits empty a day before a vote on a proposal to demand that Israel and Hamas allow aid access to the Gaza Strip via land, sea and air routes, and set up U.N. monitoring of the humanitarian assistance, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., December 21, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Hamas said Friday’s resolution vote at the United Nations Security Council was an "insufficient step" for providing vital humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. 

"During the past five days, the US administration has worked hard to empty this resolution of its essence, and to issue it in this weak formula... it defies the will of the international community and the United Nations General Assembly in stopping Israel's aggression against our defenseless Palestinian people,” the terror group, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said in a statement, Reuters reported. 

The United Arab Emirates-sponsored resolution demands increased aid to Gaza. 

"Today, this council made clear that all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally and that humanitarian groups must be able to access hostages, including for medical visits," U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said following the vote.

Sgt. Amit Hod Ziv, 19,was killed Friday by Hezbollah rockets launched from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said.

An Israeli soldier was killed Friday and another was wounded during a Hezbollah attack from rockets fired from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said. 

The deceased soldier was identified by the IDF as Sgt. Amit Hod Ziv, 19, who was assigned 188th Armored Brigade’s 71st Battalion. 

The other soldier was assigned to the same unit and is hospitalized in serious condition.  

Ziv was promoted from corporal to sergeant after his death, the IDF said.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations thanked the Biden administration for siding with the Jewish state during negotiations prior to Friday’s Security Council vote calling for more aid to be delivered to Gaza. 

Gilad Erdan said the resolution maintains Israel’s security and its ability to monitor and inspect aid into Gaza. He also criticized the council for failing to condemn Hamas over its Oct. 7 attack on Israeli communities. 

“It must not be ignored that the Security Council as a body has not yet condemned the October 7 massacre. This is a disgrace,” he said. “The UN's focus only on the aid mechanisms for Gaza is unnecessary and disconnected from reality - Israel, in any case, allows the entry of aid on any necessary scale.” 

He said the U.N. should have focused on humanitarian aid for the hostages being held captive by Hamas. 

“The failures of the UN in the last 17 years have allowed Hamas to dig terror tunnels and manufacture missiles and rockets,” Erdan said. “It is clear that the UN cannot be trusted to monitor the incoming aid to the Gaza Strip.”  

The United States and Russia abstained in Friday's vote.

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour addresses a United Nations General Assembly. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The Palestinian Authority representative to the United Nations said the United Nations Security Council’s vote on Friday demanding more humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza “a step in the right direction.” 

Riyad Mansour also called for an immediate cease-fire. 

“This resolution is a step in the right direction — it must be implemented and must be accompanied by massive pressure for an immediate ceasefire. I repeat, immediate ceasefire,” he said, the AFP reported. 

The U.N. vote came after several delays amid concerns from the United States over the language and Israel over the monitoring of aid deliveries. 

The Israel Defense Forces released video footage Friday from a camera attached to an army canine sent into Hamas tunnels in Gaza. 

The tunnels functioned as underground outposts for the terror group, the IDF said.

Israel has made an effort to destroy as many tunnels in Gaza as it can.

A U.S. official has confirmed to Fox News on Friday that Iran has been providing intelligence to Yemen's Houthi rebels on ship locations in the Red Sea during the recent series of attacks on commercial vessels in the area.

The Iranian surveillance vessel has been tracking the commercial ships and sharing locations for the Houthis to target with their drones and rockets, which are also provided by Iran. 

The development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

One U.S. defense official told Fox News that the Iranian ship has been operating in the area prior to the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 and so far, 13 international shipping vessels have been targeted by the Houthis.

"Iranian support to the Houthis is robust and includes proliferation of advanced weapons systems, intelligence support, and financial aid and training," White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. "Iranian support throughout the Gaza crisis has enabled the Houthis to launch attacks against Israel and maritime targets, though Iran has often deferred operational decision-making authority to the Houthis. Iran has the choice to provide or withhold this support, without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden."

Fox News' Liz Friden and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Representatives of member countries vote during the Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters on Friday, Dec. 22, in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)

The United Nations Security Council voted Friday to approve a UAE-sponsored resolution demanding a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war.

A vote on the resolution was previously scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, but was delayed to try to avoid another veto by the United States. 

The resolution passed Friday, in which 13 nations voted in favor with the U.S. and Russia abstaining, "calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities."

It "demands that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access and to enable urgent rescue and recovery efforts, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring immediate humanitarian access," the resolution adds.

The resolution also expresses "grave concerns as to the impact the resumption of hostilities has had on civilians."

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Yahya Sinwar, center, appears during a ceremony at Yarmouk stadium on May 24, 2021, in Gaza City. (Laurent Van der Stockt/Getty Images)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday that the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, will "meet the barrels of our guns soon," Israeli media is reporting.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Gallant made the remark at the end of a meeting with members of Israel's war cabinet, saying "Yahya Sinwar now hears the IDF tractors above him, the Air Force bombs, and the IDF's action."

“The IDF and defense establishment’s activity continues. In the north of the Gaza Strip, the operation is gradually completing the goals we set, the dismantling of the Hamas battalions and the elimination of its underground capabilities,” Gallant also said, according to The Times of Israel.

"We are also operating in the Khan Younis area and the south of the Gaza Strip, and we will operate in other places in the future," he reportedly added.

Tracking down Sinwar has been a top priority for the Israeli military. Sinwar hails from Khan Younis and is believed to have played a key role in orchestrating the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that launched the war.

The Hezbollah terrorist organization is claiming Friday that 121 of its operatives have been killed by the Israel Defense Forces since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Israel and Hezbollah have been engaging in repeated skirmishes along the Lebanon border in recent weeks. 

The announcement comes as the Israeli Air Force announced Friday that it once again has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. 

"Fighter jets of the Air Force attacked a series of targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanese territory a short time ago," it wrote in a post on X. "Among the targets attacked were military sites where the organization's terrorists operated alongside terrorist infrastructures."

The Israeli Air Force on Friday has released a video showing the moment an unmanned aircraft from Lebanon was intercepted on its way to Israel.

"Last week, an Air Force fighter jet in cooperation with the Navy intercepted an unmanned aircraft over the sea in Lebanese territory, which was on its way to Israeli territory," it said in a post on X. "The vessel did not cross into Israeli territory."

Sgt. Ran Hoff is seen visiting his family after returning home from fighting in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Defense Forces. (IDF)

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari has shared an image Friday of a soldier reuniting with his family after returning home from fighting in the Gaza Strip.

"Sergeant Ran Hoff, a sergeant in the 890th Battalion of the Parachute Brigade went to freshen up at home after a period of fighting in the Gaza Strip," Hagari wrote in a post on X.

Hagari quoted Hoff as saying that "After a long time, the meeting with the family gave me a lot of strength. It is difficult to be far away, but justice surpasses the difficulty -- there is no more just war than this. 

"No matter how long it takes we will all give our heart and soul for the restoration of security for the citizens of the State of Israel and the return of the abducted," Hoff also said. "We the fighters appreciate all the love and support we receive from you, it strengthens and empowers us all."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked President Biden following Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist attack if he could pressure Egypt to take on Palestinian refugees, according to a Washington Post report.

But Biden told Netanyahu that the idea had no traction with the Egyptian government, the report said. 

As of Friday, Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip remains closed to those looking to flee the fighting between Israel's military and Hamas.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for further comment.

Gadi Haggai and his wife Judi. (Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum)

The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum announced Friday that Gadi Haggai, a 73-year-old Israeli-American hostage taken captive by Hamas, has died.

His wife, Judi, who also has American citizenship, still remains a hostage. Gadi Haggai is the first American hostage to have died in the conflict.

"Gadi was a man full of humor who knew how to make those around him laugh. A musician at heart, a gifted flutist, he played in the IDF Orchestra and was involved with music his whole life," the Forum said in a statement.

It added that on the morning of Oct. 7, Gadi and Judi went "for their regular morning walk in the fields and vineyards" of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel when they were kidnapped by Hamas.

"Judi managed to notify friends that they had been shot and that Gadi was critically injured -- it was the last contact with them," the Forum said.

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, on Tuesday, Dec. 12. (AP/Susan Walsh)

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that "we've had over 20 nations now sign on to participate" in Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led effort to protect ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

"The forces assigned to Operation Prosperity Guardian will serve as a highway patrol of sorts, patrolling the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to respond to and assist as necessary commercial vessels that are transiting this vital international waterway," Ryder said during a press briefing. "It's a defensive coalition meant to reassure global shipping and mariners that the international community is there to help with safe passage. 

Ryder also said "In the days ahead, the United States will continue to consult closely with our allies and partners who share the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation" and "we expect to see the coalition continue to grow."

"The Houthis need to stop these attacks. They need to stop them now," Ryder warned. "You know, that's clear and simple. And they really need to ask themselves if they've bitten off more than they can chew when it comes to taking on the entire international community and negatively impacting billions of dollars in global trade, economic prosperity and international law.  

The Israeli Air Force announced Friday that it has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and killed a Hamas engineer as part of its latest operations to combat terrorism.

"Fighter jets of the Air Force attacked a series of targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanese territory a short time ago," it wrote in a post on X. "Among the targets attacked were military sites where the organization's terrorists operated alongside terrorist infrastructures."

In the Gaza Strip, "an Air Force fighter jet directed by the 215th Brigade eliminated an engineering operative of the terrorist organization Hamas who was engaged in placing charges against our forces, and a terrorist squad that endangered our forces in the Gaza Strip was attacked," the Israeli Air Force added.

A group of House Democrats introduced a resolution this week that condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia and "anti-Palestinian discrimination." 

The bill, led by progressive Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., memorialized 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, a Palestinian boy who was stabbed to death by his parents’ landlord in an alleged hate crime. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.

In addition to honoring him, the resolution text also included a provision saying the U.S. "has zero tolerance for hate crimes, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination."

And in what appears to be a veiled jab at leftists’ pro-Israel colleagues, the resolution also stated that "it is the duty of elected officials and media to tell the truth without dehumanizing rhetoric when informing the public of factual information."  

Israeli forces have killed more than 2,000 “terrorists” since the end of a brief cease-fire with Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

“Since the end of the operational pause on ground operations in Gaza, our forces have eliminated over 2,000 terrorists from the air, sea, and land,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said during a press briefing.

Hagari also said the IDF had destroyed a tunnel network in the “Hamas Elite Quarter” in the heart of Gaza City.

“This is a complex network of tunnels connecting hideout apartments to various facilities and bunkers of senior members of the Hamas terrorist organization, which we revealed to the world yesterday,” he said.

Israel and Hamas resumed military operations earlier this month after a brief pause in fighting to exchange hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Israel is facing growing pressure from its citizens to ensure the release of the remaining hostages being held captive in Gaza. Hamas has rejected Israeli proposals for a week-long truce in exchange for hostages.

The terror group reportedly declared it will no longer discuss releasing any hostages until Israel ends its military campaign In Gaza.