Hostages released

4-year-old American among hostages released by Hamas, Biden says

The fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war continues to hold.

By KELLY GARRITY

President Joe Biden confirmed Sunday that the 4-year old American Abigail Mor Edan who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza is now free.

“She’s free and she’s in Israel now,” Biden told reporters Sunday from Nantucket, where he was spending Thanksgiving weekend with his family.

“Abigail was among 13 hostages released today from Gaza under the brokered and sustained though intensive U.S. diplomacy. She is now safely in Israel. And we continue to press and expect for additional Americans will be released as well,” Biden said.

According to Israel, 17 hostages were released Sunday including 14 Israelis and three foreign nationals, the young American girl among them.

Abigail, whose name has also been rendered as Avigail Idan in some reports, is the first American hostage who was been released as part of the deal brokered between Israel and Hamas that would allow for the freeing of at least 50 of the more than 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a 4-day pause in the fighting and the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Some foreign nationals have also been released by Hamas, including a Russian national.

Abigail’s parents were killed by Hamas attackers Oct. 7. On Sunday, Biden spoke of the events the young girl experienced during the attack, acknowledging that she had been through “a terrible trauma,” as, according to Biden, she witnessed her mother die in front of her before her father was shot and killed while shielding her from attackers.

Relatives expressed gratitude and hope over her release.

“We hoped and prayed today would come. There are no words to express our relief and gratitude that Abigail is safe and coming home,” great aunt Liz Hirsh Naftali and cousin Noa Naftali said in a statement.

“Thank you to President Biden and his dedicated team; thank you to the Qatari government and other informal actors who are involved in securing Abigail’s release and reuniting other hostages with their loved ones. Today’s release proves that it’s possible. We can get all hostages back home.”

According to the Associated Press, Israel’s army said one hostage released Sunday was airlifted directly to a hospital. Though the plan was for Abigail and others to cross the border into Egypt and then be transported to Israel, an elderly woman was “very sick and was in need of immediate medical help,” Biden said, leading Abigail to cross directly into Israel.

Ahead of the latest release, Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip, where he spoke with Israeli troops. “We are making every effort to return our hostages, and at the end of the day we will return every one,” he said, adding that “we are continuing until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” It was not immediately clear where he went inside Gaza.

Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners later Sunday as part of the deal, and a fourth hostage exchange is expected on Monday, currently the last day of the cease-fire. Israel has pledged to extend the pause, however, for every 10 additional hostages Hamas is willing to release — a compromise Biden took the opportunity to push for Sunday.

“I’ll be speaking again shortly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and we will continue to remain personally engaged — personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented, and work to extend the deal as well,” Biden said.

Nothing is guaranteed Biden cautioned, but he struck an optimistic note about the results of the short-term ceasefire.

"[The] proof that this is working and worth pursuing further is in every smile and every grateful tear we see on the faces of those families that are finally getting back together. ... The proof is little Abigail,” Biden said.