President Biden on Monday appeared to falsely claim he had “spoken” to an American hostage whose body was found in a Hamas tunnel over the weekend, adding to a series of embarrassing gaffes he has made in the final months of his presidency.
This came after Biden, 81, was asked if he had a message for the families of six hostages whose bodies were found inside a Hamas tunnel by the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday.
One of the hostages was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg Polin, who had been held hostage for about 11 months since he was kidnapped from a music festival on October 7.
“I've spoken to the American hostage,” Biden said, referring to Goldberg Pollin. “I've spoken to his parents. We're not giving up. We're going to keep trying as hard as we can.”
The White House did not respond to questions about which hostages Biden was referring to, but Biden spoke with Goldberg Pollin's family on Sunday after she was identified as one of the hostages found dead.
“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said in a statement after meeting with the families. “Hamas leaders will pay a price for these crimes.”
“I got to know his parents, John and Rachel, and they were brave, wise and indomitable, enduring unimaginable circumstances,” the president said. “They were relentless and irrepressible advocates for their son and for all hostages held in inhumane conditions.”
“I honor them and am deeply saddened beyond words, and I know all Americans are praying for them tonight, as are Jill and I,” he added.
Protests have erupted across Israel as Israelis plead with their government to prioritize the hostage deal with Hamas.
On October 7, more than 250 hostages were taken from Israel to Gaza during deadly attacks and abductions by Hamas.
In November, Israel and Hamas completed a prisoner swap in which Israel returned 105 hostages, leaving an estimated 101 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.
Biden also told reporters outside the White House that he didn't think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done enough to secure a hostage deal with Hamas, adding that he was hopeful a deal was imminent.
The president returned to the White House on Monday after a two-week vacation in California and Delaware, where he met with his national security team about the Israeli hostage crisis.
Biden is later scheduled to appear at a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday afternoon.
