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President Joe Biden on Monday mentioned the US authorities is conscious of “not less than 11” People who’ve been killed in assaults on Israel by Hamas and warned that an as-yet unknown variety of US residents could have been taken as hostages by the terrorist group.
In a press release, Mr Biden mentioned the up to date toll of American fatalities was a part of efforts to “proceed to account for the horrors of the appalling terrorist assault towards Israel this weekend and the a whole bunch of harmless civilians who had been murdered” and careworn that the “immense scale and attain of this tragedy” is just now being understood.
“We additionally know that Americans nonetheless stay unaccounted for, and we’re working with Israeli officers to acquire extra info as to their whereabouts,” he mentioned, including that his “high precedence” as president is “the security of Americans—whether or not at house or overseas”.
“Whereas we’re nonetheless working to verify, we imagine it’s doubtless that Americans could also be amongst these being held by Hamas,” Mr Biden continued.
He additionally mentioned he has “directed” his nationwide safety crew to “work with their Israeli counterparts on each facet of the hostage disaster, together with sharing intelligence and deploying consultants from throughout the US authorities to seek the advice of with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage restoration efforts”.
Mr Biden careworn that US residents nonetheless in Israel could make use of consular help and safety alerts from the US Embassy in Jerusalem, and famous that business air transportation and floor routes in another country are nonetheless accessible for many who want to go away. He additionally cautioned that People within the nation ought to “take smart precautions within the days forward and observe the steerage of native authorities”.
The president’s assertion comes simply hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the Israeli Defence Forces’ counterassault towards the terrorist group — together with air strikes towards targets in Gaza — was simply the beginning of a bigger offensive.
In a televised assertion, Mr Netanyahu mentioned Israeli’s navy “have solely began putting Hamas” and warned that the enormity of the response to the shock Hamas assault “will reverberate with them for generations”.
A Hamas spokesperson identified by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida mentioned the group would execute one hostage every time Israeli forces goal civilians “with out prior warning”.
In response, Israeli International Minister Eli Cohen cautioned that such retaliations — which might be thought of battle crimes— “is not going to be forgiven”.
Earlier within the day, Israeli Protection Minister Yoav Gallant introduced a “full siege” on Gaza, together with cuts to the territory’s provide of electrical energy and a blockade on meals and gas shipments.
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