U.S. President Joe Biden met Monday night with Liat Atzili, who was released from Hamas captivity as part of the hostage deal in late November. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was also present at the meeting.
Biden wrote in a post on his official X account that "Liat Beinin Atzili is a survivor. It was my honor to welcome her to the White House this evening, hear firsthand about her resilience despite enduring the unthinkable, and promise her that my work isn't done until we secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas."
Atzili, a dual U.S. citizen, was released from Hamas captivity after 54 days, and a day later she learned that her husband Aviv, 49, who had been considered missing since October 7, was murdered. She was reunited with their three children, ages 18, 20 and 22; Ofri, Neta and Aya. In a special column for the New York Times, the educator who guides youth at Yad Vashem wrote about the Jewish concept of "revival" and wished for peace with the Palestinians while she mourned the destruction of Kibbutz Nir Oz and the murder of her husband, whose body remains in Gaza.
Atzili's testimony was also screened in February at a rally in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, where she said, "We heard gunfire, and then more shots. Aviv said 'I'm with the rapid response team’ and went out, and I didn't see him again. I sent him some sort of message that the house was burned down and I didn't know what to do, and he no longer responded to it. I thought I should get out of the protected room and try to put out the fire and I was terribly afraid. Two armed men in uniforms entered and kidnapped me. ."
On Monday night the White House referred to the negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire agreement and a hostage deal, saying that "there are still gaps between the parties." National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, said in a press briefing that "on both sides, you see public comments that aren’t necessarily fully reflective of the conversations that we’re having privately with them or their interlocutors.” He added that CIA chief William Burns and Biden's envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, are staying in Cairo to participate in hostage release and cease-fire negotiations. According to him, "in the coming days, there will be further discussions."
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US President Joe Biden met with freed hostage Abigail Edan in April
(Photo: Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Handout via REUTERS)
Biden and his team have met with the families of the hostages several times since the start of the war, to update them on his efforts to get their loved ones released from Hamas captivity. In April, Biden met with 4-year-old Abigail Edan, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 after her parents were murdered, and returned as part of the November hostage deal.