The hostages that remain in Gaza have now been in captivity for over 100 days. Joe Biden marked the unfortunate milestone last week.
"Today, we mark a devastating and tragic milestone—100 days of captivity for the more than 100 innocent people, including as many as 6 Americans, who are still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza,” he said last Sunday. "For 100 days, they have existed in fear for their lives, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. For 100 days, their families have lived in agony, praying for the safe return of their loved ones. And for each of those 100 days, the hostages and their families have been at the forefront of my mind as my national security team and I have worked non-stop to try to secure their freedom."
This is not the first time Joe Biden has claimed to have been working “non-stop” to get hostages released. In November, he credited himself for achieving a temporary ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of a few hostages.
"From the moment Hamas kidnapped these people, I, along with my team, have worked around the clock to secure their release,” he said at the time.
Well, if 100+ days of “around the clock” diplomacy hasn’t succeeded in getting the remaining hundred or more hostages — including American citizens — then something is wrong.
Or maybe Biden and his team aren’t doing everything they can.
Nevertheless, Biden is so proud of that deal (which, of course, Hamas violated) that he even mentioned it in his statement. "In November, working in close coordination with Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, we brokered a seven-day pause in fighting that resulted in the release of 105 hostages — including a 4-year-old American child — and allowed us to surge additional vital humanitarian aid into Gaza. I was deeply engaged to secure, sustain, and extend that deal."
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Yet two months later, there haven’t been any more hostages released. And that 4-year-old American girl wasn’t just a random citizen, either. She is the great-niece of Liz Hirsh Naftali, a big-time Democratic donor, Biden campaign donor, and a Biden appointee who also bought one of Hunter Biden’s pieces of “art."
It is both curious and deeply troubling that there has been no discernible progress since. While the young girl's release is a relief, the subsequent lack of meaningful advancements raises questions about the true extent of Joe Biden's efforts to secure the release of hostages, especially American citizens, from Gaza.
"I will never forget the grief and the suffering I have heard in my meetings with the families of the American hostages,” Biden claimed in his statement last week. "No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100. On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families—we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home."
Then why aren’t we seeing more hostages released? Is it pure incompetence, or has Biden lost interest after getting the great-niece of his donor released? The lack of progress over these 100+ days is scandalous.
