President Biden on Wednesday met privately with families of Americans being held hostage by Hamas since its sneak attack in Israel on Oct. 7.

The meeting was Mr. Biden’s first in-person conversation with families of hostages. He previously spoke with them over Zoom in mid-October.

Administration officials say eight Americans are unaccounted for since the fighting began. It is unclear if the White House believes all eight are being held hostage.  

One of the hostages remaining is a woman who was expected to be released under a previous deal with Hamas, but the deal collapsed when the terror group did not release additional women it was holding.

So far, the U.S. has secured the release of more than 100 hostages, including four Americans. Natalie and Judith Raanan were released in late October after extensive negotiations; 4-year-old Abigail Eden, whose parents were killed by Hamas and whose mother is American, was released on Nov. 26; and Liat Beinin, a high school teacher and tour guide, was released on Nov. 29.

Family members attending the White House meeting include Yael Alexander; Adi Alexander; Ruby Chen; Roy Chen; Ronen Neutra; Orna Neutra; Jonathan Dekel-Chen; Gillian Kaye; Aviva Siegel; Elan Siegel; Shir Siegel; Hanna Siegel and Liz Naftali, according to the White House.

Family members Jon Polin, Rachel Goldbert and Iris Haggai joined the meeting by phone, the White House said.

Members of the Biden administration who participated in the meeting include Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.