Representatives from seven countries released a statement condemning the “reprehensible acts of hostage-taking and unjust detention.”
The “Joint Statement on Unjust Detention” was released by representatives from the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom at a bilateral meeting in Big Sky, Mont., on Tuesday, according to the U.S. State Department.
“These acts are a flagrant affront to human rights. Perpetrators of these practices shatter lives and communities, undermine peace, and threaten global security and trade,” the statement read. “We reaffirm our cooperation in confronting these challenges to support human dignity, protect the rule of law, and promote the conditions for international collaboration and peace.”
“We will spare no effort, in accordance with international law, to bring home hostages and unjustly or arbitrarily detained individuals and to deter such future acts,” it added. “We are united in our demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
The Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, saw 1,200 people slaughtered and another 251 taken hostage and held in the Gaza Strip.
The joint statement comes one day after Israel renewed strikes against Hamas amid the current ceasefire deal after the terror organization refused to accept extensions.
“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” the Israeli prime minister’s office stated.
The European Union, Arab states and other nations have condemned Israel for these actions.
