Biden: "Hamas to release 4-year-old American hostage... Temporary truce must continue"

U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed on the 26th (local time) that among the 13 hostages released by Hamas on the third day of the temporary ceasefire was a four-year-old American girl.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

In an urgent national address that day, President Biden stated, "Four-year-old Abigail is one of the 13 hostages released today from Gaza," adding, "She is currently safe in Israel." President Biden expressed gratitude, saying, "I am thankful that she can return," and extended thanks to all parties involved, including the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel.

He also said, "We expect the release of other American hostages as well. We will continue all efforts to secure the release of additional Americans," emphasizing, "We will not stop until all hostages return home safely." He added that he is scheduled to speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Biden stated, "My goal is to extend the temporary ceasefire to facilitate the additional release of hostages," and said, "Our aim is to continue this ceasefire beyond tomorrow so that more hostages are freed and humanitarian aid reaches Gaza." He further mentioned, "Israel has agreed to extend the ceasefire on the condition of releasing 10 hostages per day, and I hope this is not the end," adding, "I expect the ceasefire to continue as long as hostages are being released."

Hamas released 13 hostages on that day, including Abigail. Among the hostages, an elderly American woman is in urgent need of medical treatment and has been arranged to receive care at an Israeli hospital.

Earlier, Israel and Hamas agreed on a four-day ceasefire along with the release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners. On the first day of the ceasefire, the 24th, Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages and 11 foreigners, and on the second day, the 25th, they released 13 Israelis and 4 foreigners. Israel also released 78 Palestinians imprisoned in its jails over the past two days in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.