US President Joe Biden appeared to claim on Monday that he “spoke to” Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Biden was asked if he had a message for the families of the six hostages recently recovered by Israeli forces.
“I’ve spoken to the American hostage,” Biden said in apparent reference to Goldberg-Polin. “I spoke to his mom and dad, and we’re not giving up. We’re going to continue to push as hard as we can.”
The White House did not respond to a question regarding which hostage Biden was referencing.
“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden wrote in a statement after meeting with the family, saying, “Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. I have gotten to know his parents, Jon and Rachel. They have been courageous, wise, and steadfast, even as they have endured the unimaginable. They have been relentless and irrepressible champions of their son and of all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions. I admire them and grieve with them more deeply than words can express. I know all Americans tonight will have them in their prayers, just as Jill and I will."
Biden also leveled criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that Netanyahu was not doing enough to secure a hostage deal with Hamas. Biden noted that he hoped a deal was imminent.