United States President, Joe Biden has said that at least 11 US citizens have lost their lives in the suprise attack launched on Isreal by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and that other Americans are still being held hostage.
Hamas took off with about 150 hostages in its weekend attack on southern Israel from Gaza, an attack that a senior US defense official said involved “ISIS-level savagery”.
Hamas threatened on Monday to kill the hostages if retaliatory Israeli air strikes continue “targeting” Gaza residents without warning.
Vanguard reports that the threat follows after Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the water supply, which sparked UN fears of an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.
Biden said that Washington, which has moved an aircraft carrier closer to Israel in a show of support, was working with its key ally on efforts to recover the hostages after the “heart-wrenching” attacks.
“Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel,” Biden said in a statement after meeting his national security team at the White House.
“While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas,” he added.
“I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.”
Biden added that the safety of American citizens at home or abroad was his “top priority as president”.
The United States sent its largest aircraft carrier and five other warships near Israel in a show of support on Sunday, while boosting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.
| Vanguard
