4-Yr-Old American Girl Released By Hamas, Joe Biden Hopes For Gaza Truce Extension

Biden expressed optimism that the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas would last as long as detainees were released.

US President Joe Biden.

Source : Getty

On the third day of a truce with Israel, Hamas freed a four-year-old American girl, said President Joe Biden, as the militant organisation stated it had given back 13 Israeli captives, three Thais, and one with Russian citizenship, news agency Reuters reported. The release of some of the hostages kidnapped when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7 is anticipated to be mirrored by Israel's release of another set of 39 Palestinian captives, as has happened on other days in the truce.

Biden expressed optimism that the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas would last as long as detainees were released. He expressed hope that other Americans will be released by Hamas, but he had no definite news.

Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old hostage, had watched her parents being slaughtered by Hamas gunmen during their Oct. 7 invasion into Israel and had been kept captive since then, according to Biden.

"What she endured is unthinkable," Biden stated. 

"Under this deal, the fighting in Gaza has now been paused for three days. Over that time, 58 hostages have been released including Thai, Filipino, and Russian nationals," he further stated. 

VIDEO | "Under this deal, the fighting in Gaza has now been paused for three days. Over that time, 58 hostages have been released including Thai, Filipino, and Russian nationals," says US President @JoeBiden as he delivers remarks on the release of hostages by Hamas from Gaza.… pic.twitter.com/yDszqYXBLO

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 26, 2023

The four-day cease-fire is the first in seven weeks since Hamas massacred 1,200 people and returned 240 captives to Gaza.

As a result of that incident, Israel has threatened to eliminate the Hamas terrorists who rule Gaza, shelling the territory and launching a land offensive in the north. According to Gaza health officials, 14,800 Palestinians have been murdered and hundreds of others have been displaced.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with security personnel inside Gaza, indicating that the campaign was far from complete.

"Nothing will stop us, and we are convinced that we have the strength, the power, the will and the determination to achieve all the goals of the war, and that is what we will do," he said.