President Joe Biden expressed satisfaction with his meeting this week with Abigail Idan, a 4-year-old girl who holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship and was previously held captive by Hamas. According to Biden, the meeting with Abigail and her family went exceptionally well.
Hamas held the little girl captive during the October 7 attacks on Israel until they released her last November.
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“It went incredibly well,” Biden remarked to reporters as he departed the White House on Thursday morning, reflecting on Wednesday’s meeting. He fondly shared, “Her family reached out to me and conveyed that she was on her way back home from the White House, and she expressed, ‘You know what? I genuinely adore Joe Biden.'”
In November of last year, during an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan revealed the heart-wrenching tragedy that Abigail had to endure – witnessing the murder of her parents. Sullivan described the horrific event as “unspeakable,” alluding to the unimaginable pain and trauma Abigail had to face.
Biden also shared a photo with Idan on the social media platform X, Sayingย ย she isย “remarkable.”
“Our time together yesterday was a reminder of the work we have in front of us to secure the release of all remaining hostages,” he said in the post.
“We had her out on the swings, she was playing around the Oval Office,” Biden told reporters. “She was really good.”
On a subsequent call with reporters, an administration official provided more information about Biden’s visit with Idan’s family. According to the individual, Biden spoke with them for more than an hour and went into “some depth” about the administration’s efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“And [Biden] just let Abigail play as a 4-year-old girl does. She played in the Oval Office. She crawled through the door the Resolute desk has — that famous picture of John F. Kennedy’s little boy,” the administration official said. “Abigail went outside and was on the swing set and playing on the playground we have on the South Lawn.”
Sullivan discussed the visit during a White House press briefing on Wednesday, saying that seeing Abigail served as a “reminder” to the other hostages that the administration is striving to ensure their safe return home.
“But this was a moment of joy as well because she was able to be returned safely to her family and I think for the president, the most important thing was it was a reminder of the work still to do and how important it is for him personally and for the government to do all that we can to secure a cease-fire and hostage deal so that everybody can come home,” he said.
The conversation with Abigail took place the day before President Biden and the leaders of 17 other countries issued a united statement demanding the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas.
A senior administration official did not provide any fresh information about negotiations for an agreement to release captives and arrange a cease-fire in Gaza. However, the official stated that the current agreement is “very forward-leaning” and a “roadmap to the end of the crisis.” They stated that all Hamas had to do was accept the conditions of the agreement.
The Associated Press stated that Hamas is still thought to be holding approximately 100 captives.
