Honestly, if you try to scroll through social media to find out how many Hamas hostages were released under Biden, you’re going to run into a wall of conflicting numbers. Political spin is everywhere. Some folks act like the administration did nothing, while others claim every single person who walked out of Gaza was a direct result of White House phone calls. The truth? It’s complicated, messy, and involves a lot of middle-of-the-night negotiations in Qatar and Egypt.
Basically, the Biden-Harris administration oversaw two major, distinct waves of hostage releases before the transition of power. If we’re looking at the hard data, there isn't just one single number because you have to count the living, the deceased whose remains were recovered, and the various nationalities involved.
Breaking Down the November 2023 Breakthrough
The first huge moment happened in late 2023. You probably remember the grainy footage of Red Cross trucks crossing the border. Between November 24 and December 1, 2023, a total of 105 hostages were released from Hamas captivity during a week-long temporary ceasefire.
This was the "big one" for the Biden team. They worked closely with Qatari mediators to hammer out a deal where Israel would pause its military offensive and release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for women and children. Of those 105 people:
- 81 were Israelis (many with dual citizenship).
- 23 were Thai nationals.
- One was a Filipino citizen.
Before this big swap, the administration also helped secure the release of Judith and Natalie Raanan—the two Americans from Chicago—on October 20, 2023. Then there were two elderly Israeli women, Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, who were let go a few days later.
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The January 2025 Handover and the Final Tally
Things got really tense as Biden’s term drew to a close. There was a desperate push to get more people out before the inauguration of Donald Trump.
In mid-January 2025, just days before leaving office, Biden announced another breakthrough. This deal was a "farewell" diplomatic push that secured the release of 33 more hostages. These releases started on January 19, 2025—Biden's final full day in the Oval Office. You had women like Emily Damari and Romi Gonen finally breathing fresh air after more than 450 days in tunnels.
If you're doing the math on how many Hamas hostages were released under Biden, the total for living captives directly freed through these negotiated deals is roughly 142 to 145 individuals, depending on whether you count the few released for "humanitarian reasons" early on.
It’s worth noting that while Biden’s team laid the groundwork for the "Gaza Peace Plan" that eventually saw the final 20 living hostages return in October 2025, those specific people were actually released after he had already left the White House. Diplomacy has a long tail.
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The Human Cost: Americans and Beyond
We can't talk about numbers without talking about names. Biden often spoke about the American families he met with—people like the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who tragically did not make it home alive.
Under Biden’s watch, several Americans were freed, including:
- Judith and Natalie Raanan (October 2023)
- Abigail Edan, the 4-year-old girl (November 2023)
- Liat Beinin Atzili (November 2023)
- Keith Siegel (January 2025 deal)
- Sagui Dekel-Chen (January 2025 deal)
It’s a heavy list. For every success story, there were months of "no news."
Why the Numbers Get Confusing
Why does everyone argue about this?
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Well, for one, the IDF also conducted "rescue" operations. Biden’s critics often point to those as military wins that shouldn't be "credited" to the White House. For instance, the rescue of Noa Argamani and three others in June 2024 was a daring military raid, not a diplomatic deal.
Then there's the "Trump factor." Because the final phase of releases happened during the transition, both the outgoing Biden team and the incoming Trump team claimed credit for the pressure that led to the January 2025 releases. Biden’s envoys were in Cairo at the same time Trump’s team was issuing "all hell will break out" ultimatums on social media.
Actionable Insights for Following Global News
If you’re trying to stay informed about hostage situations or international diplomacy without getting buried in bias, here’s how to sift through the noise:
- Check the "Release Mechanism": Always distinguish between a negotiated release (diplomacy) and a military rescue. They tell you different things about the state of the conflict.
- Look for Multi-National Data: Most hostages have dual citizenship. Looking at reports from the Thai, German, or French governments often provides a more neutral "headcount" than just following US or Israeli news cycles.
- Follow the Timeline: Deals often take months to manifest. If someone is released on January 21, the work was likely done by the people in office on January 19.
The situation in Gaza was arguably the most complex hostage crisis in modern history. While the numbers provide a baseline—roughly 145 people returned during the Biden administration's tenure—the reality is that each "unit" in that count represents a shattered family and years of trauma that no political speech can fully cover.
To get the most accurate current status of any remaining captives or the repatriated remains of those lost, you should monitor the official updates from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as these organizations track the individuals by name rather than by political administration.