Biden recounts story of his wife and daughter dying in a car accident as he meets Hamas attack survivors and first responders
President Joe Biden brought up his own 1972 family tragedy as he greeted Israelis responding to the horrific Hamas attack.
He opened up about his own trauma during a conversation with Dr. Jordanna Hadas Koppel. It was one of several organized conversations the president had with first responders and those who lost loved ones in the stunning Oct. 7 attacks.
She described getting the call in preparation for a “mass casualty event,” something she said she could never have prepared for.
She says she has treated soldiers, civilians, “but especially children.”
US President Joe Biden shakes Dr. Jordanna Hadas Link hands during a meeting with Israeli first responders, family members and other civilians directly affected by the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
“Some babies burned in their mothers’ arms, some with stories that I don’t think they will ever recover from,” she said.
‘I treat Palestinian children, I treat Jewish children,
If my resident calls me at home in the evening to say that someone is not doing well, I don’t ask where he is from.
Biden brought up the 1972 car crash that injured his young sons Beau and Hunter and killed his wife Neilia and daughter Naomi.
The tragedy is an important part of Biden’s life story and he brings it up often
Biden brought up his own tragic background during a meeting with first responders in Israel
Biden told her, almost in a whisper, about his own family tragedy five decades ago.
“I got a call that my wife and daughter were dead,” Biden said.
Biden thanked her and spoke about the medical professionals who cared for his young sons, Beau and Hunter.
“Nurses, nurses,” he said.
The event took place during part of Biden’s hasty visit, where he hoped to connect with Israelis and show solidarity amid the national suffering following the attack.
He told a story about his brief meeting with the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meier five decades ago.
He also had an emotional conversation with Eli Beer, an Israeli first responder, who was on the verge of tears as he described what he saw after the attack.