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Foley’s grieving parents tell of the jihadi email in their inbox

The heartbroken parents of slain photojournalist James Foley were thrilled at first to receive an email from their son’s captors — and hoped they could negotiate with the brutal terrorists, they said Friday.

“We hadn’t heard from Jim’s captors since December. I actually was excited to see an email, despite the conclusion they would execute him,” his dad, John Foley, told the “Today” show.

“I underestimated that point. I did not realize how brutal they were. I actually hoped we could engage in negotiations with them,” he said.

James Wright FoleyFreejamesfoley.Org/Ropi

The Islamic State thugs had sent them several emails, demanding money — but then suddenly halted communication, leaving the Foleys in the dark, said his mother, Diane Foley.

“We had received several emails and then they just stopped communicating … [We] sent multiple messages hoping to engage them,” she said with a furrowed brow.

They also spoke briefly about a phone call from Pope Francis in which he offered his condolences, calling him kindhearted.

“He offered us his personal prayer and we felt so loved and supported,” John Foley said.

Diane Foley added, “He was just so kind … He was so dear because he was grieving himself, having just lost members of his family.”

Islamic State terrorists posted footage of James Foley’s brutal beheading earlier this week, demanding $132 million from the U.S. government.