administration after meeting


The families of American hostages held by Hamas offered effusive praise for President Biden's administration after meeting at the White House with the president Wednesday.

“It was a terrific, terrific meeting and conversation,”

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son, Sagui Dekel-Chen, was captured by Hamas on October 7. “I think we all came away feeling that, as families of hostages of American Israeli hostages, which are eight out of a total of 138 hostages, we felt — we felt before, and we were only reinforced, seeing and believing, that we could have no better friend in Washington or in the White House than the president himself.

”Liz Naftali, the great-aunt of Abigail Edan, the 4-year-old Israeli American hostage released by Hamas last month, called her great-niece “a miracle, a light in this very dark time,” adding Biden and his administration “have been bringing out light in this dark time

.”She also thanked Pope Francis for calling for the safe release of all hostages in Gaza.