US President Joe Biden has said he believes that a deal with Hamas to free the hostages the fighters are holding in the Gaza Strip will happen, but did not offer specifics, AFP reports.

“I’ve been talking with people involved every single day. I believe it’s going to happen but I don’t want to get into detail,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about an eventual agreement.

When asked if he had a message for the families of those being held by the Palestinian group, he replied: “Hang in there. We’re coming.”

Nine Americans and a person with permanent US residency are among an estimated 240 people taken hostage by Hamas fighters last month when they crossed the border to stage the deadliest attack in Israeli history.

 An Israeli volunteer from the Zaka Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish emergency response team inspects the interior of a home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the border with the Gaza Strip on Nov 14, in the aftermath of an attack by Hamas on Oct 7. — AFP
An Israeli volunteer from the Zaka Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish emergency response team inspects the interior of a home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the border with the Gaza Strip on Nov 14, in the aftermath of an attack by Hamas on Oct 7. — AFP

Opinion

Editorial

AJK elections
29 Jul, 2026

AJK elections

CONSIDERING the political unrest that has rocked Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past, free and fair general...
Still vulnerable
29 Jul, 2026

Still vulnerable

THE State Bank’s decision to hold the policy rate at 11.5pc is a prudent response to the heightened risks the...
Guarding the past
29 Jul, 2026

Guarding the past

THE return of 513 smuggled archaeological artefacts from the US is a welcome homecoming for objects that should ...
Lull in fighting
Updated 28 Jul, 2026

Lull in fighting

AFTER two weeks of escalating violence, the US has halted its strikes on Iran, with Tehran also silencing it guns....
Water policy
28 Jul, 2026

Water policy

THE country is caught in a crisis where there too much water at the wrong time and too little when it is most ...
Ending hepatitis
28 Jul, 2026

Ending hepatitis

WORLD Hepatitis Day is being observed under the theme ‘Hepatitis: Let’s break it down’, a call to remove the...