Berlin Welcomes Release of Gaza Hostages, Including Two Germans

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock looks on at a joint news conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis (not pictured) in Vilnius, Lithuania April 22, 2022. (Reuters)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock looks on at a joint news conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis (not pictured) in Vilnius, Lithuania April 22, 2022. (Reuters)
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Berlin Welcomes Release of Gaza Hostages, Including Two Germans

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock looks on at a joint news conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis (not pictured) in Vilnius, Lithuania April 22, 2022. (Reuters)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock looks on at a joint news conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis (not pictured) in Vilnius, Lithuania April 22, 2022. (Reuters)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed Monday the release of 11 Gaza hostages, including "two German teenagers" as part of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"After 52 days of suffering and despair, their mother can hold them in her arms again. My thoughts are with the families who are still waiting in fear. We are doing everything we can so that they too can hold them in their arms," Baerbock posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The release of the two hostages on Monday brings the total number of German passport-holders released by Hamas to 10 -- four were released on Friday and four more on Saturday, AFP reported.

Baerbock also welcomed the announcement by Hamas of a truce extension, which she said would allow "precious time for our aid to reach the people of Gaza."

"And it's a glimmer of hope so we don't lose sight of what could happen: concrete steps towards a secure future for all the people in the region."



Trump Demurs on US Involvement on Iran, Araghchi Hints it Can Step in to End Fighting

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (not pictured) at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (not pictured) at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump Demurs on US Involvement on Iran, Araghchi Hints it Can Step in to End Fighting

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (not pictured) at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (not pictured) at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 16, 2025. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump declined on Monday to answer what it would take for US to be directly involved in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran, saying he did not want to talk about the issue.

Instead, he continued to press Iran on negotiations on its nuclear program.

“They should talk, and they should talk immediately,” Trump said during a bilateral meeting with the Canadian prime minister during the G7 summit.

Trump added: “I’d say Iran is not winning this war.”

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to make a veiled outreach Monday for the US to step in and negotiate an end to dayslong hostilities between Israel and Iran.

In a post on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is “genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.”

“It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,” Iran’s top diplomat continued. “That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy.”

The message to Washington comes as the most recent round of talks between US and Iran was canceled over the weekend after Israel targeted key military and political officials in Tehran on Thursday.