President Biden on Friday praised the release of two dozen hostages who had been held by Hamas terrorists for more than six weeks but said “we don’t know” when Americans will be set free.
Mr. Biden said that extensive U.S. diplomacy, and mediation by regional players such as Qatar and Egypt, helped bring about Friday’s hostage release.
“It’s only a start, but so far it’s gone well,” Mr. Biden said at a hastily arranged press conference from Nantucket, where he celebrated Thanksgiving.
“Today’s releases are the start of a process. We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow, and more the day after, and more the day after that.”
Hamas has been holding about 240 hostages since Oct. 7, when it launched a brutal terrorist assault on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel.
Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday, including 13 Israelis, 10 people from Thailand and one from the Philippines. The freed Israeli prisoners ranged in age from 2 to 85.
Israel and Hamas agreed earlier this week to pause fighting in Gaza to allow for the hostages’ release, while Israel also agreed to free more than a hundred Palestinian prisoners as part of the exchange.
But Mr. Biden acknowledged that Americans are still among those held by Hamas in Gaza. It’s unclear, he said, when they will be released.
“We don’t know when that will occur but we’re going to be expecting it to occur,” he said. “It’s my hope and expectation it will be soon.”
The president also said the U.S. is not sure of the physical conditions of those American hostages.
Two Americans from the Chicago area — Judith Ranaan, 59, and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie — were released by Hamas late last month. Until Friday, they were the only two hostages set free by Hamas since the Oct. 7 attacks.
The four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began Friday, a day later than initially expected. In addition to the hostage release, the cease-fire also has paved the way for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel’s military campaign in the weeks since the Oct. 7 attack. Israel has said its goal is to destroy Hamas, which has ruled the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, since 2006.
Mr. Biden condemned Hamas in his remarks Friday but also stressed that humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach the Palestinian people.
“This extended pause of the fighting brings a critical opportunity to deliver much-needed food, medicine, water and fuel to the civilians in Gaza. We are not wasting one single minute,” he said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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