Britt praises release of 4-year-old Israeli-American hostage: 'We are glad that precious Abigail has been released from Gaza today'

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) on Sunday praised the successful return of an American hostage who was abducted in Israel on October 7 by the terrorist organization Hamas.

Abigail Edan is a 4-year-old American and Israeli dual citizen. She was one of the 240 hostages taken after the violent attack in which both of her parents were killed.

Her release marked the first successful freeing of an American hostage since the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas.

Britt, who has been advocating for the release of hostages, previously met with Abigail's family in Israel and Washington, D.C.

" We are glad that precious Abigail has been released from Gaza today," Britt posted on X. "We must ensure that every single hostage comes home and that the threat of Hamas is eliminated."

Sunday's hostage release was the second of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas to free hostages. Over the past two days, Hamas has released a total of 26 hostages, while Israel has released 78 Palestinians from Israeli prisons who were either accused or convicted of crimes.

According to U.S. Officials, Israel has agreed to extend the pause by a day for every 10 additional hostages released. It will also allow more aid trucks to enter Gaza during the pause.

Last month, Britt joined a co-delegation of U.S. Senators on a visit to the war-torn Middle East. The co-delegation met with key leaders in the region and "emphasized the United States' unequivocal support for Israel."

During a U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearing following her trip, Britt mentioned Abigail, who was still a hostage.

"You see pictures like this of precious Abigail – three years old, that Hamas is using as a human shield. When you learn her story and the story of the remaining hostages, it will tear your heart out."

Britt placed the blame on Hamas and Iran for funding the terrorist organization.

"This Committee has jurisdiction over our nation's economic security tools, including sanctions," Britt continued during the meeting. "We must use every tool at our disposal to ensure that those who carried out these attacks and those who financially supported them will never be able to do that again."