By Jeff Mason
NANTUCKET, Massachusetts (Reuters) -President Joe Biden said a 4-year-old U.S. hostage held by Hamas was released from captivity in Gaza and returned to Israel on Sunday, adding that he was working to release others.
Biden said the hostage, Abigail Edan, witnessed Hamas fighters killing her parents during an Oct. 7 raid into Israel and had been held as a hostage since then. He said she turned 4 years old while in captivity.
“What she endured is unthinkable,” Biden told a news conference.
Edan was released as part of a deal to swap 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for 150 prisoners in Israeli jails over a four-day truce period.
“We hoped and prayed today would come,” Liz Hirsh Naftali and Noa Naftali, Edan’s great aunt and cousin, said in a statement, thanking Biden and the Qatari government for their work in getting Edan released. “There are no words to express our relief and gratitude that Abigail is safe and coming home.”
Biden spoke with members of Edan’s family in the United States and Israel after her release, the White House said in a statement.
Hamas released 17 hostages on Sunday, and Israel was expected to free 39 Palestinian prisoners in return.
It is the first halt in the conflict since Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Hamas characterizes its armed activities as resistance against Israeli occupation.
In response, Israel vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Israeli-occupied Gaza, bombarding the enclave and mounting a ground offensive in the north. Palestinian health authorities say Israel has killed some 14,800 people, roughly 40% of them children.
Netanyahu in a call with Biden on Sunday thanked him for his “tireless efforts to help broker and fully implement” the deal to release hostages, according to a White House readout of the call.
The two leaders agreed to continue working to secure the release of all hostages, the White House said, and will “remain in close contact over the coming days.”
Biden said he expects Hamas to release other U.S. hostages as well, and that he wants the pause in the fighting to be extended as long as prisoners are being released.
“We will not stop working until every hostage is returned to their loved ones,” Biden said.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Nantucket, Andy Sullivan and Moira Warburton in Washington and Jason Lange in Buffalo, NY; Editing by David Goodman, Alexander Smith, Mark Porter and Josie Kao)
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
