US, 17 other countries urge Hamas to release hostages, end Gaza crisis, senior US official says

The United States and 17 other countries on Thursday will call on Hamas to release hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza, a senior U.S. administration official said.

"We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza now for over 200 days," a statement released by the countries will say, according to the official, who called the joint statement an extraordinary display of unanimity.