(NewsNation) — Israelis celebrated the 77th independence day of their country Thursday, and as part of the commemoration, took time to honor the remaining Hamas hostages in Gaza.
Of the 59 remaining hostages still in Gaza, Israel has said it believes that only 24 are still alive. American-Israeli IDF soldier Edan Alexander is one of the hostages with whom Hamas has recently said it has lost contact.
Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, joined “NewsNation Now” on Thursday to say that they are in active talks to get hostages back, but Hamas has also made talks on a truce difficult.
“They’ve refused all the suggestions from the Egyptians, the Qataris and the Americans,” Akunis said. Any possible ceasefire “won’t be for a long time.”
Israel has continued its strikes against Hamas in Gaza, where a recent overnight attack left 12 people dead.
Akunis said the Israeli government does not want the war to go on forever, and that one of their main goals is an end to Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
“We don’t want Hamas to be in Gaza anymore for the sake of the Gazans,” Akunis said. “It’s impossible to live under (the) Hamas regime.”
The government’s main priority, Akunis said, is making sure hostages are brought back alive.