The United States and 17 other countries issued a call today, Thursday, demanding that Hamas release hostages who are patients, the injured, and the elderly, paving the way for an end to the crisis in Gaza. The countries, in a statement described by a senior American official as an extraordinary affirmation of consensus, stated: "We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for over 200 days." All these countries have citizens among those held by Hamas.