Biden invites families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas in October 7 terror attack on Israel to White House for first meeting after they protest at his gate and were declined invitation to Hanukkah reception

President Joe Biden invited family members of Americans held hostage by Hamas to a meeting at the White House on Wednesday after some were denied an invitation to a menorah lighting ceremony.

This will be Biden’s first face-to-face meeting with them since Israeli Americans were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.

The invitation to the meeting came after several family members asked to attend a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday night but were never invited, the father of one missing Israeli-American told CNN.

“We are not going to stop until every hostage is brought home,” Biden told donors in Washington on Friday, declaring the U.S. commitment to Israel “is unwavering.”

Several family members set up camp outside the White House in Lafayette Square, where they tried to host a holiday meal Tuesday on a picnic blanket on the sidewalk outside the residence to showcase the missing spots that will be on their tables during the holidays.

President Joe Biden invited family members of Americans held hostage by Hamas to a meeting at the White House on Wednesday.

Eight Americans – seven men and one woman – are still believed to be held hostage after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Four Americans, including a 4-year-old girl and three women, were released as part of a ceasefire reached by the United States with assistance from Qatar and Egypt.

It is unclear how many families will attend Wednesday’s meeting with the president, and some may appear virtually, a White House official told NBC News.

Biden spoke with some family members via Zoom. Other senior administration officials met in person with some family members, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Family members expressed disappointment at the slow pace of release of Israeli-Americans. The White House said Hamas and other militant groups killed at least 31 Americans on October 7.

Administration officials have repeatedly said they are in close contact with their Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian counterparts about the situation after a truce broke down that allowed for the release of some hostages.

Sullivan blamed Hamas for the collapse of the November 24-December 1 truce because the militants refused to release hostages.

“Hamas continues to detain significant numbers of women, elderly people and civilians to this day. And yet he says, “Hey, how about everyone just stop?” Therefore, we believe that Israel has the right to defend itself,” he said at the Wall Street Journal forum.

Meanwhile, Ruby Chen, whose son Itay is a reservist missing in action after the Hamas attack on Israel, told CNN that several families were in Washington, D.C., this week and asked the White House to attend the Hanukkah reception, but they were turned away invited. .

The reception, which marked the fifth night of Hanukkah, was attended by about 800 guests, including Holocaust survivors, lawmakers and various Jewish leaders, according to the White House.

A community of Jewish groups gathers outside the White House on the fifth night of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.

President Joe Biden watches as Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff lights the menorah during the Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House.

At the event, Biden spoke about the work his administration is doing to try to secure the release of remaining hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He said he spent “probably up to 20 hours” working with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials.

“There are a number of things going on right now that are really, really difficult,” Biden said. “We have freed over 100 hostages and we are not going to stop until we bring every one of them home.”

However, the White House also said they had no specific news to share.

“We are not close to reaching another humanitarian pause deal, and I have no news today about the return of hostages, either ours or those held hostage from many other countries,” spokesman John Kirby said. last week.

“We are still trying to get as much information as possible about the hostages being held. As I said, we have some information about some of the hostages because their families are talking to us. And it was an incredible source of information and context,” he added.

“We have less information about others, but not for lack of trying.”