US 'very hopeful' but 'cannot be fully confident' in hostage deal, official says
The United States is "very hopeful" in the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas but "cannot be fully confident" until the abductees return home safely, according to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
"You can never have full confidence until you actually see hostages back in the arms of their families," Sullivan told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
"But I am very hopeful that there will be a pause, these hostages will begin to be released," he continued, "and then I am hopeful that we can build on the release of this initial 50 to get more hostages home so that every last person currently being held by the terrorist group Hamas gets home safely to their family."
The whereabouts of nine U.S. citizens and one U.S. permanent resident, or green card-holder, remains unknown in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to Sullivan, who said it's unclear whether they were among the hundreds of people who were taken hostage and brought back to the neighboring Gaza Strip.
"We don't know for certain that all 10 are still alive and we’ve been honest about that -- what we know and what we don't know,” he added. "We know that among those 10, three are women and children -- two women one child. And we believe that those three will be among the 50 who are released."
But Sullivan cautioned: "Until we actually see them come out, be in the arms of their loved ones, get home safely, we cannot be fully confident. So we are going to wait as the families are waiting with bated breath until they come but and then until every last American comes out."
-ABC News' Morgan Winsor