Biden to visit National Guard base, spend rare weekend at White House, and speak to families of U.S. hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza as Israel prepares to launch ground invasion

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.

President Joe Biden spoke of the “barbarity” of the Hamas attack. Is expected to speak with family members of Americans held hostage on Friday

“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.”

Biden will spend the weekend at the White House. Israel continued to repel missile attacks with its Iron Dome system

President Joe Biden walks along the column with Becky Chong to the Rose Garden to speak at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Biden began his remarks with the war between Gaza and Israel and turned to protecting consumers from hidden waste charges

Israel pounded Gaza with airstrikes

The call with the families is expected on Friday, CNN mentionted.

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.

Biden was also at the White House the weekend of Sept. 30 after a trip to Arizona and the weekend of Sept. 23 when he spoke at a conference.

He usually likes to return to his home in Wilmington or his beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware on the weekends.