However, he did not provide details about efforts to rescue U.S. citizens held by Hamas.
October 11, 2023, 5:01 p.m. ET
• 6 min reading
President Joe Biden said Wednesday he was doing “a lot” to release hostages held by Hamas, including Americans, and that he had not given up hope, but gave no details.
“We are working on all aspects of the Israel hostage crisis, including sending experts to advise and assist in recovery efforts,” he told a gathering of Jewish community leaders. “Now the press and many of you will be shouting to me saying, you know… what are you doing to bring these people home? If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to do it.” Take her home. Folks, there’s a lot we do, a lot we do.
“I haven’t given up hope of bringing these people home,” he continued. “But the idea of me standing here in front of you telling you what I do is bizarre. I hope you understand how bizarre I find it to attempt to answer this question.”
President Biden delivers remarks after attending roundtable with Jewish community leaders, ABC News
On ABC News Live on Thursday, October 12, at 8:30 p.m., ABC News’ James Longman, Matt Gutman and Ian Pannell take a look at the horrendous aftermath of the Hamas massacre, the Israelis and Palestinians caught in the middle, and what’s next comes.
The White House previously said the U.S. is “keeping all options open” to recover Americans held hostage by Hamas. At the same time, a spokesman admitted that there was no current information about her condition or whereabouts.
At least 22 Americans have died in Israel since fighting began on Saturday when Hamas launched unprecedented surprise attacks. Seventeen Americans remain missing or missing, said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
According to White House spokesman John Kirby, “a number of these Americans” are being held hostage by Hamas. He said the public should prepare for the possibility that the number of U.S. citizens held by the terror group will increase.
Israeli tanks move near Israel’s Gaza border, Israel, October 11, 2023.Erik Marmor/AP
ABC News chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce asked Kirby if he could share anything about the condition of the hostages and whether the administration was in contact directly or indirectly with Hamas to secure their release.
“No, where they are and what condition they are in, no,” Kirby responded, adding that the administration does not know whether they are in a group or the frequency at which they might be moved. “Unfortunately we don’t know. And that makes the effort very, very difficult.”
He also told ABC White House correspondent MaryAlice Parks that he was “not aware of any concrete evidence of the life of any individual hostage.”
John Kirby, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator, speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Oct. 11, 2023, in Washington. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Kirby said the U.S. is in discussions with some countries, such as Qatar, that are in contact with Hamas about releasing the hostages.
Asked whether the U.S. had contacted Hamas, Kirby reiterated his previous answer and told reporters that, as in other cases in which Americans are held hostage or unlawfully detained, “I don’t know The less you say out there publicly, the better.”
Asked whether President Joe Biden has ruled out sending American forces to Gaza to secure their release if necessary, Kirby said they simply “do not have enough information to make those decisions.”
“Obviously we’re casting a wide net,” Kirby said of hostage talks with allies and partners in the region. “We’re also keeping the options wide open at the moment as we get more information, but we just don’t have enough granularity to be able to fine-tune those options.”