President Biden said on Friday that he was unsure when any American hostages being held by Hamas terrorists would be released after none was included in the group freed on the first day of the group’s cease-fire with Israel.
“We don’t know when that will occur, but we’re going to expect it to occur,” Biden said while addressing the release of hostages from his vacation in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
“We don’t know what the list of all the hostages are and when they will be released, but we know the numbers that are going to be released, So, it’s my hope and expectation it will be soon,” he added.
President Joe Biden speaks about the release of hostages from Gaza, in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 24, 2023. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
He went on to say that he didn’t know the condition of the Americans still in captivity or whether they were still alive.
Additionally, Biden suggested the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas was inspired by his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East to expand recognition of Israel as a nation.
“I cannot prove what I’m about to say,” Biden said. “But I believe one of the reasons why Hamas struck when they did was they knew that I was working very closely with the Saudis and others in the region to bring peace to the region by having recognition of Israel and Israel’s right to exist.”
The release of hostages comes after Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day cease-fire during which the terrorist group agreed to release 50 women and children taken in the October 7 attack on Israel in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
A vehicle believed to be carrying hostages abducted by Hamas militants during the October 7 attack on Israel, arrives at the Rafah border, amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, as seen from southern Gaza Strip November 24, 2023. (Reuters TV via REUTERS)
Two dozen hostages were released on Friday, including 13 Israelis, 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen. The group was released into the care of Red Cross personnel, who were seen carrying those rescued via ambulance from Gaza into Egypt.
The Israeli hostages were transported to Israel to receive care at various hospitals and are now accompanied by Israeli Defense Forces Special Forces.
According to U.S. intelligence, approximately 10 Americans are being held hostage by Hamas.
International Red Cross vehicles reportedly carrying Israeli hostages released by Hamas cross the Rafah border point in Gaza on the way to Egypt from which they would be flown to Israel to be reunited with their families, on November 24, 2023. After 48 days of gunfire and bombardment that claimed thousands of lives, a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war began on November 24 with 50 hostages set to be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli leaders have vowed to resume the war once the cease-fire lifts.
“Israel will continue its war on Hamas, and we will not stop until we achieve our two main goals, overthrowing the rule of Hamas and returning all the abductees back to us, safe and sound,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Friday as he toured Israel’s ravaged border areas with his counterparts from Portugal and Slovenia.
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To date, there have been more than 1,200 Israelis reported killed by Hamas, while the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health is claiming that nearly 13,000 civilians have been killed from Israeli military activity in Gaza.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
