A senior official at the White House on Thursday described President Joe Biden's meeting the previous day with 4-year-old Abigail Edan, an American who was held hostage by Hamas after her parents were murdered and then returned as part of a hostage exchange deal.
The official said that during the meeting the president "simply let her play like any 4-year-old. She played in the Oval Office and crawled under the table with the famous picture of Kennedy as a child"."
Additionally, the official recounted that, during the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, Abigail also "went out to the White House lawn, ran and played in the playground while the president was with the family and discussed the efforts we are making to release the hostages."
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Wednesday that the meeting reminded Biden that there are still Americans and others held by Hamas, and "we must work every day to bring them back. Abigail and her family are still living with the trauma of losing their loved ones and the ordeal of captivity, but it was also a moment of joy because she returned safely to her family. For the president, the meeting was also a reminder of how important it is to do everything possible to bring back the captives from Gaza and reach a cease-fire."
Abigail's parents, Ynet photographer Roy Edan and his wife, Smadar were murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza during the October 7 massacre. Abigail's two older siblings, Michael, 9, and Amalya, 6, hid in a closet in their home and were rescued.
During the surprise attack by Hamas, Roy stepped outside his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and captured photos of the terrorists who had infiltrated his community using motorized paragliders. He later also captured images of missiles and rocket launches in the area.