Pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden to secure the release of American hostages taken by Hamas even as the administration seeks to avoid embroiling the United States in another Middle East war.
As of Monday, more than 6,000 people have been killed in Israel and Gaza, with nearly 15,000 wounded, and officials say that roughly 200 hostages from 30 countries remain in Hamas captivity. The Biden administration believes that the majority of the still-missing American citizens are among those being held hostage by the terrorist group.
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Two of those American citizens, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, were freed for “humanitarian reasons” on Friday, according to a Hamas statement.
Biden spoke with the Raanans on Friday afternoon and said in a statement that he was “overjoyed” upon hearing of their release.
“From the earliest moments of this attack, we have been working around-the-clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas, and we have not ceased our efforts to secure the release of those who are still being held. I thank the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work,” the president wrote. “Jill and I have been holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted for Americans. And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week — we will not stop until we get their loved ones home. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”
Still, Biden opted to spend the weekend vacationing at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, earning strong rebukes from Republicans.
On Sunday, Biden and first lady Jill Biden were filmed walking on the beach and did not stop to answer questions from reporters about the remaining hostages.
“Americans are still being held hostage by Hamas terrorists,” the Republican National Committee captioned the video. “And Joe Biden is at the beach.”
White House officials have repeatedly defended the president’s brief vacations to Delaware over the past three years and said Biden was engaging with foreign leaders all throughout the weekend, including during that walk on the beach with the first lady.
Biden also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. The two leaders have maintained close contact since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, but Sunday’s conversation marked the first since trucks carrying humanitarian aid were allowed to enter Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing.
“The leaders affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza. The President expressed appreciation for Israel’s support in helping to accommodate the release of two American hostages,” the readout of the Biden-Netanyahu call states. “The leaders discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages taken by Hamas — including U.S. citizens — and to provide for safe passage for U.S. citizens and other civilians in Gaza who wish to depart.”
Despite the close coordination between Israel and the U.S. in recent weeks, the Biden administration appears concerned by how Netanyahu’s military operations in Gaza could threaten the health and safety of the remaining hostages and other Americans in Gaza.
Axios’s Barak Ravid reported that the Biden administration is seeking to delay Israel’s full-scale invasion of Gaza to allow Palestinian Americans more time to evacuate.
And both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns Sunday about the potential widening of the conflict.
Austin, during an interview on ABC, warned of the “prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region.”
Blinken, speaking on NBC, also said to expect attacks by “Iranian proxies” against U.S. forces in the region and said the U.S. is “taking steps to make sure that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to.”
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, an Israeli American whose 35-year-old son is believed to be one of the hostages, was one of the family members Biden met with during his trip to Tel Aviv, Israel, last week.
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Dekel-Chen told NPR that “there’s not a single thing more and more worrisome than have someone you love, someone you adore, adores you, and not knowing their fate” but said that his conversation with Biden gave him the impression the administration is doing everything it can to ensure the release of the remaining hostages.
“It left no doubt in my mind that the president specifically and his administration are totally committed to finding the hostages, not just the American — American citizens among them, but everyone, and returning them home,” he said.
