Biden Met With Protests as He Touts Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal

President Joe Biden was met with a small group of protesters as he walked out of the White Elephant Hotel in Nantucket moments after delivering remarks on the hostage deal struck in the Israel-Hamas war.

A handful of people in the crowd gathered outside the hotel shouted "Free Palestine" and "cease fire" as the president walked up Broad Street with first lady Jill Biden.

Just before Biden left the hotel, he had credited "extensive U.S. diplomacy" for getting the first group of hostages released by Hamas. Biden noted that the release was "only a start" as no American citizens had been released. He also mentioned that adding conditions to Israeli aid could be a "worthwhile thought."

The first group of hostages, which included 13 Israeli women and children as well as 10 Thai citizens and a Filipino citizen, were safely returned on Friday morning. In his speech addressing the deal, Biden said he'd hoped to know within the next hour who would be among the second wave of hostages released.

"We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow, and more the day after and more the day after that," Biden said. "Over the next few days, we expect that dozens of hostages will be returned to their families."

Acknowledging the two American women and a 4-year-old girl who were among the missing, Biden said, "We also will not stop until we get these hostages brought home and answer to their whereabouts."

Abigail Mor Edan, who lost both her parents in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, turned 4 today.

Others outside the White Elephant Hotel cheered for Biden, with some yelling, "One more term!" Biden is hoping to return to the White House in 2025 after what is expected to be a difficult re-election.

The 24 hostages who were released from the Gaza Strip on Friday were handed over to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing, who were accompanied by eight staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Biden said that the United States, along with Egypt, Qatar and Israel, would do everything in its power to ensure that the full deal that was reached would be implemented over the coming days.

"My expectation and hope is that as we move forward, the rest of the Arab world and the region is also putting pressure on all sides to slow this down, to bring this to an end as quickly as we can," Biden said.

The Israeli Defense Force said that the first group of hostages underwent medical examination at the Kerem Shalom border crossing and none were determined to be facing life-threatening medical emergencies. They are currently on their way to Hatzerim Airbase where they will receive additional examinations before being taken by helicopters to be reunited with their families.

"We must not forget that each of those who returned home tonight still has family members or relatives who were murdered or who are still being held hostage in Gaza," the IDF said in a news briefing.

Update 11/24/23, 4:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.