Families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel speak to members of the media at the White House on Nov. 12, 2024. Photo: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Biden is expected to meet on Wednesday afternoon with the families of the seven American hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, according to two sources with knowledge of the issue. Why it matters: Biden is still pushing for a breakthrough in the stalled hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza negotiations, and is expected to raise the issue in his meeting with President-elect Trump on Wednesday morning, a source said.
• The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Driving the news: Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Biden on Tuesday at the White House and told him the release of the hostages needs to be a top priority. Biden told Herzog he agrees.
• After the meeting, the families of seven American hostages held in Gaza met with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and asked that Biden raise the issue in his meeting with Trump on Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the meeting said.
• The families urged Sullivan to have the Biden administration work with Trump and his team “to commit all available time and resources” to get a deal that brings the hostages home before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the families said in a statement.
The big picture: Israeli officials say 101 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza and at least 50 of them are believed to be alived.
• Negotiations over a deal to release the hostages and establish a ceasefire in Gaza have been stalled for almost three months with no significant talks between Israel and Hamas taking place.
• Two recent Egyptian and U.S. initiatives for a partial deal that would include the release of a small number of hostages were rejected by Hamas because they didn’t involve ending the war in Gaza.
• As a result, the U.S. demanded Qatar close Hamas’ office in Doha and deport Hamas leaders.
• Last week, Qatar said it told Hamas leaders to “start exploring other options” than Doha and announced it is suspending its mediation efforts as long as Israel and Hamas don’t negotiate seriously.