Biden’s message to the hostages’ families: ‘Hang in there. We come.’

President Biden sent a message Tuesday to families of hostages kidnapped from Israel on October 7: “Hang on. We come.”

The Israeli military has said that 239 people taken from Israel in the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack are still held hostage, and US officials say Israel has nine Americans among them. Hamas has said other groups are holding some hostages, but it is not clear how many.

Mr. Biden has said the release of the hostages is a top priority, and administration officials have said the United States is actively engaged in indirect negotiations involving Israel, Qatar and Hamas to secure their release.

“I’ve been talking to the people involved every day,” Biden said Tuesday during an event in the White House South Court Auditorium. “I believe it will happen, but I don’t want to go into details.”

When asked if he had a message for the hostages and their families, he said, “Wait a minute. We come.”

As he spoke, thousands of people gathered in a March for Israel on Washington’s National Mall, organized in support of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, and others gathered at the White House with posters of children who died in October had been kidnapped. 7 attack.

Brett McGurk, Mr. Biden’s senior Middle East adviser, was heading to the Middle East after stopping in Belgium on Tuesday, the White House said, to brief NATO allies and EU partners and coordinate efforts to secure the release of the hostages and to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza and increase economic pressure on Hamas and other terrorist groups. His next stops include Israel, the West Bank, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan, the White House said.

Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, said over the weekend that the status of the hostages was unclear.

“We know the number of missing and that is the number the Israelis have given, but we don’t know how many of them are still alive,” Mr. Sullivan said. told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

“As far as Americans are concerned, there are nine missing U.S. citizens” and one U.S. permanent resident, he said. He added: “That’s the number we’re working with, that’s the number we’re trying to ensure its safe return,” he said.

The Israeli government has said the hostages include 20 children and 10 to 20 people over the age of 60. One of the young hostages is a three-year-old American, according to the White House.

The news of the 3-year-old arrived a readout from the White House of a call on the war between Israel and Hamas between Mr Biden and Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani on Sunday. In the call, according to the readout, the president “unequivocally condemned Hamas’ holding of hostages, including many young children, one of whom is a three-year-old American toddler, whose parents were killed by Hamas on October 7.” ”