The White House claims full credit for brokering a hostage release deal with Hamas, although the agreement did not include any American citizens.
On Friday, Hamas released 24 hostages who had been held captive in Gaza for weeks. In return, Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of a swap under a four-day cease-fire deal.
The released hostages comprised 13 Israelis, 10 individuals from Thailand, and one from the Philippines, as reported by Qatar. Among the freed Israelis were eight women, including six in their 70s and 80s, along with three children.
Later in the evening, Palestinian prisoners were released, consisting of 24 women, some convicted of attempted murder for attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers incarcerated for offenses like throwing stones.
Despite the release, approximately 240 innocent individuals remained in Hamas’s custody.
The White House did not provide a reason for excluding Americans from the hostage release. President Biden, when questioned about the release of American hostages, stated on Friday, “We don’t know when that will occur. But we expect it to occur.”
Additionally, Biden expressed uncertainty about the current status of the American hostages.