NANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) — President Joe Biden confirmed Sunday that Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old American girl who was held hostage by Hamas after her parents were killed, was released under an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. war.
“Thank God he’s home,” Biden told reporters. “I wish I was there to hold him.”
Abigail has dual Israeli-US citizenship, and Biden said she was “safely in Israel.” He was the first American hostage released under the terms of the armistice. Biden said he did not yet have information about Abigail’s condition. The White House later said the President spoke by phone with the girl’s family members in the United States and Israel. He also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas militants raided Abigail’s kibbutz, Kfar Azza, on October 7 and killed her family. He ran for shelter at a neighbor’s house and took Abigail with him as the Brodutch family – mother Hagar and her three children – continued the rampage. All five subsequently disappeared and were later confirmed to be captives. They were among more than 200 people taken to Gaza in the attack that started the war. It was Abigail’s birthday while she was in his arms.
Two of Abigail’s family members thanked Biden, the Qatari government and others who helped secure her release on Sunday, and said in a statement that they were committed to the “safe and swift return” of all hostages.
“Today’s release proves it’s possible. We can bring all the hostages back home. We have to keep pushing,” said Liz Hirsh Naftali and Noa Naftali, Abigail’s great-aunt and cousin.
The Brodutch family, whose ages ranged from 4 to 84, was also in the group, announced Sunday. Red Cross representatives transferred the hostages from Gaza. Some were delivered directly to Israel, while others left via Egypt. The Israeli military said one was flown directly to hospital.
“They have been through a terrible ordeal,” Biden said, and now they can begin the “long journey toward recovery.”
According to the White House, Biden and Netanyahu agree that the work is not yet done. Biden stated that the negotiations are a daily, hourly process and said that he will continue to work until all hostages are released.
“Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is taken for granted. But the proof that it works and that it is worth going further lies in every smile and grateful tear we see on the faces of families who are finally reunited. The proof of this is little Abigail,” the president said .
Biden said in a statement from Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he spent Thanksgiving with his family, that the ceasefire agreement “provides life-saving results.”
Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement signed on Sunday. A fourth exchange was expected on Monday, the last day of the ceasefire, when a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners will be released. They are all women and underage.
Netanyahu released a video statement after his meeting with Biden. He described his joy at bringing Abigail home, but also his sadness at the murder of his parents. “He has no parents, but there is a whole nation that welcomes him and we will meet all his needs,” she said.
Netanyahu reiterated his offer to extend the ceasefire for one more day for every 10 hostages released by Hamas. However, he also said that once the ceasefire ends, Israel will continue its attacks against Hamas “with all its might.”
International mediators, led by representatives of the United States and Qatar, are trying to extend the ceasefire as long as possible.
“Critically needed aid is coming in and hostages are coming out,” Biden said. “And this agreement is structured so that it can be expanded based on those results. That’s my goal, to continue this pause after tomorrow, so that we can continue to see more hostages emerge and deliver more humanitarian aid to people in need in Gaza.”
Before hostilities ceased, the first hostages were released on October 17: Judith and Natalie Raanan, an American woman and her teenage daughter. Their release was considered a successful example of negotiating a larger agreement, according to US officials.
There are believed to be eight other U.S. citizens and one legal permanent resident currently being held hostage. Two were women and seven were men. It is unclear whether they are alive or not.
Biden said he was “hopeful” the others would be released. “We will not stop working until every hostage is returned to their loved ones,” he said.
The war has claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians killed by Hamas in the initial attack. According to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza, more than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two-thirds of whom were women and children.
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It has long been reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report.