Biden plans to meet with the families of American hostages taken by Hamas

President Biden will meet at the White House on Wednesday with the families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks in Israel, his first in-person meeting with the relatives since the crisis began.

A White House official confirmed the meeting but did not provide details on how many family members would attend in person. The president previously spoke to the families via video call about a week after the attacks.

At the time, he called the conversation “heartbreaking” and later described the family members as “going through pain, not knowing the status of their sons and daughters, spouses, children.”

The White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning for the meeting, said the invitation was extended to several family members of each of the American hostages still held in Gaza.

Biden administration officials have said they believe about seven hostages with U.S. citizenship remain, after several were released, including during a weeklong lull in fighting last month.

Among those still believed to be held is Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, a US-Israeli dual national who was seriously injured by a grenade during the attacks in southern Israel before being taken hostage. Several other Americans still being held include Omer Neutra, 22, who grew up on Long Island, and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up on a kibbutz in Israel but regularly visited family in Connecticut.

The families of the remaining hostages have repeatedly urged the United States to push for a pause in the fighting so Israel can negotiate the release of their loved ones still held.

During the lull in fighting last month, Hamas released more than 100 of the approximately 240 hostages it seized on October 7.