President Biden on Friday spoke for over an hour with families of Americans believed to be held hostage by Hamas, according to the White House and a source familiar with the conference call.
The president, joined by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Undersecretary of State John Bass, and National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk, spoke with families of 14 Americans still unaccounted for after Hamas attacked Israel, the White House said.
“The president conveyed directly to these families that they have been in his prayers and reaffirmed for them that the United States government is doing everything possible to locate and bring home their loved ones,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
The U.S. believes the Americans are among those being held by Hamas, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist group. Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that has at least 1,300 people. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, where health officials say some 1,800 people have been killed.
President Biden spoke with CBS News’ Scott Pelley, in an interview for 60 Minutes, before his meeting with the families.
“I think they have to know that the president of the United States of America cares deeply about what’s happened to them — deeply,” Mr. Biden said. “We have to communicate to the world this is critical. This is not even human behavior. It’s pure barbarism. And we’re going to do everything in our power to get them home if we can find them.”
According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, at least 27 Americans have been killed in the latest violence.
This is a developing story.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
