Biden promised families of American hostages in Gaza that he will work with Trump for their release

Relatives of U.S. citizens kidnapped by Hamas met with President Joe Biden at the White House. This is the third time that the president has hosted the families of the hostages.

After the meeting, the White House said President Biden briefed the families on U.S. efforts to secure the release of the hostages and reaffirmed that the Biden-Harris administration will continue working toward that goal.

Ronen Neutra, father of Omar, one of the hostages, told Israeli news portal Ynet that Biden informed them about a meeting he had just held with President-elect Donald Trump. During their discussion, they emphasized the urgency of finding a solution before the change of administration, with Biden's team planning to work alongside Trump's transition team to address the issue.

Neutra added that Biden encouraged the families to meet with Trump's transition team, and they are now working to schedule a meeting with the president-elect in the coming days. He also mentioned that they had already met with advisers to Marco Rubio, Trump's nominee for secretary of state. "It's crucial to work together now, not wait months," Neutra said.

Ruby Chen, the father of Itay, an American-Israeli soldier killed in the conflict whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, said, "Biden promised that until the last day of his term, he will fight for the abductees." He added, "We ended the meeting in a very personal way with him, and we saw that he was moved. You could see it in his eyes; he spoke from the deepest part of his being. He even said, 'It's okay to be a little angry with me, because in the end, we didn't make it.'"