Biden demands Hamas release ALL hostages and an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza in statement with 17 countries after horrifying proof-of-life video of kidnapped American was released

President Joe Biden joined leaders from 17 other countries on Thursday in calling on Hamas to release all the hostages being held in Gaza.

All of the countries have citizens being held hostage by Hamas. In addition to demanding their release, the leaders call for an 'immediate and prolong ceasefire.'

'We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and Gaza, now for over 200 days,' the leaders say. 'They include our citizens. The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is of international concern.'

'We emphasize that the deal on the table to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead to the credible end of hostilities.'

As of early April, 133 hostages remained in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian residents in Gaza examine the aftermath of an Israeli attack

The statement is part of a pressure campaign to get both sides to sign onto to a ceasefire as the war in Gaza has dragged on for nearly seven months and ceasefire negotiations have stalled.

In November, a weeklong ceasefire saw the release of more than 100 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Talks have been frozen since then.

Both Israel and Hamas have rejected ceasefire efforts, insisting its version of victory is within reach. 

A senior administration official, briefing reporters on Thursday morning, said releasing the hostages means 'this crisis will wind down. It's just a very clear path.'

'There's a very forward leaning deal on the table,' the official said. 'I think it's the roadmap to the end of the crisis, and all Hamas needs to do is released as vulnerable category of hostages and, and we'd be moving forward.'

Hamas says it will hold onto the hostages until Israel agrees to a more permanent ceasefire, withdraws its forces from Gaza and releases hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants. 

President Joe Biden joined 17 other world leaders in demanding the hostages be released

The leaders' statement comes after Hamas released a proof-of-life video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, nearly seven months after he was kidnapped following the brutal October 7 invasion. 

The 24-year-old, born in California in March 2000, who was taken from the Nova Festival on October 7, was seen in a video posted by Hamas today blaming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leaving him with the terror group for 200 days. 

Goldberg-Polin, who can be seen missing his left hand and part of his arm, begins by identifying himself, before saying: 'I was arrested on October 7 at the Nova Festival in Rei'm. I went out seeking entertainment with my friends. 

He lost his arm when he saved his friends on October 7th by throwing a gernade that was near them. 

The emaciated man, who has spent more than six months as a hostage and was seen with a shaved head, said: 'Instead, I found myself struggling to survive with serious injuries all over my body.

'Nevertheless, I took it upon myself to protect myself and the people who were afraid around me because there was no one to protect us that day. 

He then blames Netanyahu and his government's decision not to rescue the hostages, saying: 'Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, [you] should be ashamed of yourselves because you neglected us along with thousands of other citizens.'

Hersh Goldberg-Polin (pictured) can be seen missing his left hand and part of his arm

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants, and supporters, protest outside the Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv

Friends and supporters of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli, kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 at the Nova Festival, demand a hostage deal

The video also comes the day after Biden met with Abigail Edan, the 4-year-old American girl who was held hostage in Gaza for several weeks at the start of the war.

Abigail, who has dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship, was taken hostage after her parents were killed in the attack and was released nearly seven weeks later. 

She was the first U.S. hostage freed by Hamas as part of a deal with Israel to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners early in the war. Abigail turned four during her time in captivity. 

Biden spent over an hour with Abigail and her family on Wednesday, according to the White House.

'She played in the Oval Office. She crawled through the door in the resolute desk has that famous picture of John F Kennedy's little boy,' a senior administration official said. 'She went outside and was on the swing set and playing on the playground we have on the South Lawn.' 

The war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, around two-thirds of them children and women. 

Meanwhile, Israel stepped up airstrikes on Rafah overnight, killing at least six Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge in the city in southern Gaza.

Biden and other Israeli allies have issued warnings the invasion could cause mass casualties. 

But Netanyahu claims Israel can only achieve its aims of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages if it expands its ground offensive to Rafah.

A top Hamas political official told The Associated Press the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders.

Abigail Edan, center, with her aunt Liron, left, and her uncle Zuli, right, after being released from Hamas in November - she met with President Biden at the White House on Wednesday

Israel is highly unlikely to agree to this. Netanyahu and his government has vowed to crush Hamas in return for its October 7th attack. Additionally, the Israeli leadership is adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

'There's not going to be a Palestinian state with them. Hamas is a terrorist organization. We support a two state solution,' White House spokesman John Kirby said. 

'Hamas just keeps wanting to move the goalposts. They can end the war.'

The Palestinian Authority hopes to establish an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza - areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. While the international community overwhelmingly supports such a two-state solution, Netanyahu's hard-line government rejects it.