The Biden administration has “reason to believe” one of the Americans held hostage will be released Sunday, a top US official said Sunday.
“We’re dealing with Hamas. We are in a ‘don’t trust, but verify’ situation here. And so we have reason to believe that there will be an American release today,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
“Today should be a good day, a joyful day, but until we actually see it happen, we are going to remain really at the edge of our seat,” he said.
Sullivan’s comments confirm previous reporting from CNN that an American citizen is due to be among those freed today.
Two American women and one child, 4-year-old Abigail Edan, are currently unaccounted-for and are expected to be part of the group of 50 women and children hostages released as part a four-day truce, now in its third day.
No Americans were released as part of the deal on Friday or Saturday. Ten Americans are unaccounted for in total.
The US, Sullivan said, has “growing optimism” that Edan will be returned, though he declined to provide a timeline.
“We are now hopeful that Abigail will be released and reunited with her family. She turned four just two days ago. She has been through hell. She had her parents killed right in front of her and has been held hostage for the last several weeks,” Sullivan said.
“But I am going to say that we have growing optimism about Abigail and we will now watch and see what happens.”
Sullivan said that it is difficult to know the true status of the Americans being held. “We cannot say for certain whether all three of them are still alive. But we do know this: we have reason to believe that today, one American will be released,” he said.
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
