Biden to speak to families of U.S. hostages held by Hamas terrorists

The escalation of the situation in Israel and Gaza following the attack by Hamas caused President Joe Biden to return to the White House on Friday after a short trip home after a week dominated by national security challenges.

It will be the last of many consecutive weekends where the president has stayed home. On Saturday, the day Hamas terror groups swept through parts of Israel, the president addressed the nation from the White House at the start of a tumultuous period.

This will come after a day where Biden is set to hold emotional Zoom talks with family members of those held captive in Gaza as the Israeli Defense Force prepares for a possible ground invasion of Gaza. Hamas claimed 13 hostages of unknown nationalities were killed amid a series of Israeli airstrikes.

Biden spoke to CBS’ “60 Minutes” about the push to recover Americans after Saturday’s brutal attack. “I think they need to know that the president of the United States of America cares deeply about what’s going on. Deeply. We need to communicate to the people (that) this is critical,” he said. “This is not even human behavior. It’s pure brutality,” Biden said in a clip that aired Friday ahead of Sunday’s broadcast. “We’re going to do everything in our power to bring them home if we can find them,” Biden said.

Biden told Jewish leaders at the White House on Wednesday that “I have not given up hope of bringing these people home.” The call with the families is expected Friday, CNN reported. Biden has about three hours on his schedule at a Delaware Air National Guard base as well as a quarter hour in the morning.

Even in the midst of this official duty, Biden will once again try to reach out and insert parts of his domestic agenda into the national conversation. This time he will speak in Philadelphia about “Bidenomics” and creating “good-paying jobs” and “building a clean energy future,” according to the White House. It comes after a string of positive jobs reports.

Biden used the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday to make the case for a new proposed rule to crack down on hidden “junk fees” on concert tickets, hotel purchases and rental cars — but he had to preface his remarks with one more development about with the grim situation in Israel.

The White House on Thursday confirmed the US death toll from the Hamas attack at 27, with 14 Americans now missing and less than a handful believed to be in captivity.

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