Joe Biden has repeatedly claimed to have been an integral part of the negotiation process for returning hostages held in Gaza, but he’s also been criticized for how few Americans have been released from captivity.
"Mr. President, when will the first American hostages be released, since none were included today?” a reporter asked Friday.
"We don’t know when that will occur,” Biden admitted, "but we’re going to be — expect it to occur. And we don’t know what the list of all the hostages are and when they’ll be released, but we know the numbers that are going to be released. So, it is my hope and expectation it will be soon."
The first American citizen wasn’t released until Sunday, when four-year-old Abigail Mor Edan was included in a group of 17 hostages released. She was the only U.S. citizen among them.
Abigail Mor Edan, the youngest U.S. citizen held by Hamas, was among the group of hostages released back to Israel on Sunday, both President Biden and the Israeli military confirmed.
Abigail, whose parents were killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, turned 4 years old last week while in captivity in Gaza. She was kidnapped and taken to the Palestinian enclave during the deadly rampage along with an estimated 240 others, according to Israeli officials.
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President Biden spoke about Abigail's release in televised remarks Sunday.
"She's free and she's in Israel now," Mr. Biden said, adding that Abigail has "been through a terrible trauma." The child's mother was killed in front of her by Hamas militants before her father was also gunned down while using his body to shield Abigail from the attack. Abigail then ran to neighbors for help, Mr. Biden said.
"What she endured is unthinkable," he said.
Abigail's great-aunt, Liz Hirsh Naftali, and her cousin, Noa Naftali, said in a statement Sunday, "We hoped and prayed today would come. There are no words to express our relief and gratitude that Abigail is safe and coming home.”
Who is Liz Hirsh Naftali? Well, she was profiled by Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide four months ago.
America's first son Hunter Biden's artwork was reportedly sold for a total of about $1.3 million, internal gallery documents revealed on Monday, July 24. Reports suggest that one of the buyers, named Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, a real-estate investor from LA, is also a Democratic donor "friend" who Joe Biden appointed to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad in July 2022.
An official from the Biden administration reportedly told Business Insider that Naftali was recommended for being named in the prestigious commission by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and that she did not earn the position due to her art deal. It is also not known when Naftali made her purchase or how much she paid for the artwork.
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Naftali is a real estate investor and philanthropist who reportedly owns and runs a commercial real estate company in Los Angeles' Fashion District. As per Business Insider, she is an influential personality in the Democratic circles of California and a prominent Democratic donor who allegedly gave $13,414 to the Biden campaign and $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year.
Is this a remarkable coincidence or proof of Biden's corruption at work? Between Naftali’s connections to the Bidens and Nancy Pelosi, it’s hard not to ask whether those connections were exploited to secure Abigail’s release. What happened to Abigail and her family is a tragedy, and she should have been released sooner. However, it raises questions about just how hard Joe Biden is actually working to get Americans released from Gaza. Perhaps the families of the Americans still being held hostage in Gaza better start making big donations to Biden’s presidential campaign or buying up some of Hunter Biden’s artwork. It might just get them returned sooner rather than later.
Recommended: Now We Know Why Hunter Biden’s Art Buyers Were Kept Secret
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