American 4-year-old Abigail Mor Edan was among the third group of hostages released by Hamas.
Washington — Abigail Mor Edan
On Sunday, President Biden confirmed that the hostages released by Hamas included the youngest American held captive by the group.
On Sunday, President Biden stated that the individual is currently in Israel and no longer held captive. He also acknowledged that she has endured a harrowing experience.
According to Mr. Biden, Abigail’s mother was murdered in front of her and the young girl then sought refuge with her father. However, he was also shot while trying to protect her with his own body. Abigail eventually turned to her neighbors for assistance.
Biden has confirmed that a young girl, aged four and holding American citizenship, was among the latest individuals to be freed by Hamas after being held captive. This occurred at 09:02.
There are three American women who are hostages, one of them being Abigail, who are supposed to be freed during a four-day ceasefire. It is uncertain if the ceasefire will continue beyond that.
“The agreement includes a condition that if Hamas is able to provide evidence of locating and safely securing some of the hostages who fall under the first group, which consists of women and children, then the agreement will be extended based on the number of hostages they have. We cannot verify this until the fourth day, at which point Hamas must present a list if they have any available,” stated Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, in an exclusive interview with “Face the Nation.”
The Israeli government has stated that they are open to prolonging the ceasefire by one day for every 10 hostages that are released. When questioned about whether Hamas has found any additional hostages in Gaza during the pause in hostilities, Al Thani responded that there has been no communication about it yet. As part of the agreement, Israel has agreed to release three Palestinian prisoners for each hostage, which translates to children being exchanged for children and women for women.
Once the children and women civilians have been freed, Al Thani stated that the next step in a possible hostage release would involve releasing female soldiers, older hostages, and eventually the male hostages. Handling the negotiations for the men is tricky as they are considered military reservists and are treated as active-duty soldiers. There are still some unresolved matters that need to be addressed.
There are currently 10 Americans who have not been found, one of whom is a legal resident. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed assurance that all individuals being held captive will eventually return home.
Hamas released a woman named Aviva or Adrienne Siegel on Sunday. She is the spouse of Keith Siegel, a U.S. citizen. Although she herself is not a U.S. citizen, the Biden administration has been supporting her and advocating for the release of her husband who is still being held captive.
Sullivan stated that the White House is staying in constant communication with authorities in Qatar and Egypt, who played a crucial role in negotiating the release of the hostages, as well as officials from Israel.
100 balloons filled with flammable material from Gaza towards Israel
Beginning on Friday, Hamas has launched a total of 100 balloons containing combustible material from Gaza towards Israel.three groups of hostages
Individuals who were taken prisoner during the terror incident have been detained in Gaza. In accordance with the agreement brokered by the United States and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary halt in hostilities and Israel will also be freeing numerous Palestinian detainees.
On Saturday, Hamas freed 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals. The day before, 13 Israeli hostages, 10 Thai hostages, and one Filipino hostage were released, according to government officials.
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Source: cbsnews.com