President Joe Biden confirmed that four-year-old Israeli-American Abigail Edan, held hostage by Hamas since its October 7 attack on Israel, was released Sunday morning.
“She’s now safely in Israel,” the president said while vacationing with his family on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. “We continue to press and expect for additional Americans to be released as well. We will not stop working until every hostage has been returned to their loved ones.”
On the third day of a fragile cease-fire, 17 hostages were released on Sunday–14 Israelis and three foreigners—according to a list from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. In exchange, Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners, all minors, according to a Qatari spokesman.
Red Cross officials confirmed the transfer of some of the hostages out of Gaza according to The Associated Press. Some hostages were handed over directly to Israel, while others left via Egypt. One of the hostages was airlifted directly to an Israeli hospital, according to Israel Defense Forces.
Earlier in the day, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reported that the U.S. has “reason to believe” that an American held hostage by Hamas will be released sometime during the day, but declined to say whether Edan was scheduled to be released.
Sullivan was asked about Israel’s stated commitment to extending the temporary ceasefire an extra day for every additional ten hostages freed. “The ball is in Hamas’ court on that,” the Biden diplomat said. “If the pause stops, the responsibility for that rests on the shoulders of Hamas, not on the shoulders of Israel.”
Biden has said that he believes the “chances are real” that a truce will be extended. On Sunday, he reiterated that his goal is “to keep this pause extended beyond tomorrow so we can keep seeing hostages come out and surge more humanitarian receive to those in need in Gaza.”
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