Biden says meeting with 4-year-old girl orphaned and held hostage by Hamas a reminder of work needed to free remaining hostages
The meeting came as the U.S. called on Hamas to release the remaining captives.
President Joe Biden said Thursday a meeting this week with 4-year-old Abigail Idan, a U.S. and Israeli citizen once held hostage by Hamas, and her family, went "really well."
The little girl was captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel until the terrorist group released her last November.
"It went really well," Biden told reporters about Wednesday's meeting while leaving the White House on Thursday morning. Her family "sent me a note saying she was riding home (from the White House) and she said, 'You know, I love Joe Biden.'"
Last November, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on ABC's "This Week" that Abigail's parents were killed in front of her, adding that what she endured was "unspeakable."
Biden also posted a photo with Idan on the social media platform X, saying she is "remarkable."
"Our time together yesterday was a reminder of the work we have in front of us to secure the release of all remaining hostages," he said in the post.
"We had her out on the swings, she was playing around the Oval Office," Biden told reporters. "She was really good."
On a separate call with reporters, an administration official gave more details on Biden's meeting with Idan's family. The official said that Biden met with them for more than an hour and went into "some depth" on the administration's efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas.
"And [Biden] just let Abigail play as a 4-year-old girl does. She played in the Oval Office. She crawled through the door the Resolute desk has -- that famous picture of John F. Kennedy's little boy," the administration official said. "Abigail went outside and was on the swing set and playing on the playground we have on the South Lawn."
Sullivan talked about the meeting during a White House press briefing on Wednesday, saying that seeing Abigail was a "reminder" of the other hostages that the administration is working to get home safely.
"But this was a moment of joy as well because she was able to be returned safely to her family and I think for the president, the most important thing was it was a reminder of the work still to do and how important it is for him personally and for the government to do all that we can to secure a cease-fire and hostage deal so that everybody can come home," Sullivan said.
The meeting with Abigail happened a day before President Biden and leaders of 17 other countries released a joint statement calling for the immediate release of the hostages being held by Hamas.
A senior administration official didn't offer any new details on negotiations for a deal to release hostages and secure a cease-fire in Gaza. But, the official said that the current deal is "very forward leaning" and a "roadmap to the end of the crisis." They added that all Hamas needs to do is accept the terms of the deal.
Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 hostages, AP reported.
ABC News' Tal Axelrod contributed to this report.
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