Biden on hostages: 'Have not given up hope'
President Joe Biden said at a roundtable with Jewish leaders on Wednesday that the U.S. is "doing a lot" to rescue the Americans held hostage by Hamas.
"We're working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts," he said. "I have not given up hope of bringing these folks home."
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Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff also delivered remarks at the roundtable. Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, said, "Like all Jews, I feel a deep visceral connection to Israel and its people."
"We witnessed a mass murder of innocent civilians," he said. "The images that we saw will be seared in our brains forever. Rockets falling on cities, people dragged from their homes and shot dead, children sheltering from bullets, bodies lining the streets. And all the while, we see videos of these terrorists cheering on these atrocities. "
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"I know you're all hurting. The entire Jewish community is hurting, I'm hurting," he said.