Families of all 8 Americans believed to be held by Hamas will meet with Biden

 

The families of all of the eight unaccounted for Americans believed to have been abducted by Hamas on October 7 are expected to join a meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to a senior administration official, with some joining in-person at the White House and others virtually.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer will also be joining the meeting, the official said. Wednesday marks Biden’s first in-person meeting with the families of American hostages — he previously met with them over Zoom in October.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Israel this week, and plans to discuss the hostages issues during his trip.

Eight Americans — one woman and seven men — are still unaccounted for following Hamas’ attack on Israel, per the White House. Four Americans have been released so far, following intensive negotiations.