14 Americans Tragically Lost in Hamas Attack in Israel, U.S. Citizens Among Hostages: President Biden Labels Attack as ‘Sheer Evil’
The violent attacks on Israel over the weekend by the Hamas terrorist group were strongly condemned by President Biden. He called them a “act of sheer evil” and made it clear that “we stand with Israel.”
The president, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, spoke from the White House and said that the people of Israel had been hurt by “pure, unadulterated evil” from Hamas, which the US has known for a long time to be a terrorist group.
He said, “This was a truly evil act.”
At least 14 Americans are among the more than 1,200 people killed in Israel, the president said. He also said that American citizens are among those being held hostage by Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said after Mr. Biden’s speech that he could not confirm the exact number of Americans held hostage but that at least 20 Americans are missing.
“We will work hour-by-hour both to determine whether we can account for any of those Americans and to confirm exactly the number of Americans held hostage,” said Sullivan. “We do not know the number of hostages we have at this time.”
In this moment, Mr. Biden said, “We must be very clear: We stand with Israel.” Our backs are with Israel.
“And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, to defend itself, and to respond to this attack,” Biden said. “There’s no reason to be terrorist.” “There’s no reason.”
Mr. Biden said that Hamas’ attack on Israel was like the “worst rampages” of the Islamic State and criticized the group’s “brutality” and “bloodthirstiness.”
“This is terrorism,” he responded.
The president’s comments came after Hamas, the terrorist Palestinian group that runs the Gaza Strip, attacked Israel without warning early Saturday morning. The Israel Defense Forces say at least 900 people were killed and about 2,700 were hurt. The Israeli government said that the group is holding dozens of people hostage.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 900 people have died in Gaza, which is run by Hamas. This number is likely to go up as long as Israel keeps bombing the Gaza Strip from the air. Four thousand more are hurt.
Since the terrorist attack, Mr. Biden has said many times that he fully supports the Jewish state. In his most recent speech, he said again that the U.S. will “stand united, supporting the people of Israel who are suffering unspeakable losses and opposing the hatred and violence of terrorism.”
“Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond, indeed has a duty to respond, to these vicious attacks,” he stated.
Blue and white lights were turned on in the White House on Monday night to show “the ironclad support and solidarity of the American people with the people of Israel in the wake of the barbaric terrorist attacks committed by Hamas,” according to the White House.
In a separate statement, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the UK joined Mr. Biden in criticizing Hamas and “its appalling acts of terrorism.”
“Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities,” those in power said Monday. “We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.”
They also said, “We all agree that the Palestinian people have legitimate goals and support equal justice and freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians.” But don’t get it wrong: Hamas doesn’t stand for those goals, and it doesn’t offer the Palestinian people anything but more violence and fear.
Before he spoke, Mr. Biden met with his national security team to get a report on what was going on in Israel. The White House said that he and Harris also talked with Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, about how the United States can help Israel.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday that the U.S. has already taken steps to give the Israeli forces more tools and resources, such as weapons. He also told a carrier strike group to move to the eastern Mediterranean to make efforts to keep people from attacking the area stronger.
U.S. sources say that small-diameter bombs and artillery rounds are among the weapons being sent to Israel.
Mr. Biden said that he has ordered his administration to share information with the Israelis and send government experts to help with hostage recovery. This is in addition to sending more military aid to Israel, such as more ammunition and interceptors to restock the Iron Dome.
He also said that he would ask Congress to take “urgent action” to pay for U.S. partners’ national security needs. The House has been on break since Tuesday, when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed in a way that had never been done before. The Senate will return to Washington next week.
“This has nothing to do with politics or parties.” He said, “This is about the safety of our world and the safety of the United States of America.”
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters on Monday that the first round of security aid is on its way to Israel.
“We fully expect that there’ll be additional requests for security systems from Israel as they continue to expand munitions in this fight, and we will stay in lockstep with them, making sure that we’re filling their needs as best as we can and as fast as you can,” he stated.
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