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US President Joe Biden's administration hopes more hostages held by Hamas will be released soon.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in an interview with NBC on Sunday, said the US is committed to releasing the remaining hostages.
" We don't know why Hamas chose to release Natalie and Judith (Raanan) first. I use the word initially advised, because again, we hope that more will follow. This is something we are engaged in almost all the time ," he said.
He emphasized that American officials are engaged with partners in the region and in talks with those who may have influence with Hamas for the release of the hostages. Blinken said that of the 10 Americans missing, some are believed to be hostages, but he did not give an exact figure.
" What we don't know for sure is if some of the missing are dead and just haven't been discovered yet, or if they are hostages. But we have a pretty strong idea that a number of 10, at least, are being held in Gaza by Hamas ," he said.
When asked if the U.S. wants Israel to delay its ground operation until more hostages are released — as CNN reported, according to two sources briefed on the discussions — Blinken said the U.S. is talking to Israel on a regular basis, but continued that decisions belong to Israel.
Blinken later said the US remains concerned about possible escalation by Iranian proxies and is prepared for it.
“ We are taking steps to ensure we can effectively protect our people and respond decisively if we need to. This is not what we want, this is not what we are looking for. We don't want escalation ," he said.
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