Hope and Relief as American Hostage Released
U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that among the 13 hostages, Hamas released. One is a four-year-old American girl expressing relief and pledging to push for more hostage releases and an extension of the ceasefire.
According to The Hill, The New York Times (NYT), and others, on the 26th (local time), President Biden stated in an emergency address to the nation that two days prior, a little American girl named Abigail had celebrated her fourth birthday. He mentioned that she had spent her birthday as a hostage in Hamas’s custody. The President also conveyed that she was free on the day of the address. He, Jill, and many Americans were praying for her recovery.
President Biden announced, “A four-year-old girl, Abigail, was one of the 13 hostages released from Gaza today,” and “She is safely ensconced in Israel.” He thanked all parties involved, including the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, expressing gratitude for her safe return.
President Biden pledged to work towards the release of American hostages. He emphasized that they anticipated the release of other American hostages and would continue all efforts for additional American releases. He also stated that they would not stop until all hostages were safely back home.
President Biden added that his team and he had been in close contact with the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, working on negotiations. In a call with Qatar yesterday, he mentioned that they had pressured for Abigail’s release and would soon be in touch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Strengthening Humanitarian Aid and Extending the Ceasefire
President Biden also intends to strengthen humanitarian aid to secure more hostage releases. He emphasized that his goal was to extend the temporary ceasefire for additional hostage releases. He mentioned that they had been moving food, water, medicine, and fuel on 200 relief trucks to the Gaza Strip every day to extend the ceasefire beyond tomorrow to facilitate more hostage releases and humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza.
Furthermore, President Biden acknowledged the approach of taking things day-by-day, hour-by-hour, and recognized that nothing was guaranteed. He confirmed that this approach was effective and worthwhile, based on the smiles and tears of the released families.
President Biden concluded by expressing his intention to extend the ceasefire, stating that Israel had agreed to extend it by releasing 10 hostages a day, and he hoped this wouldn’t be the end. He expected the ceasefire to continue as long as authorities were releasing hostages.
By. Kwon Seong Jin
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