Americans are reportedly among the hostages taken into the Gaza Strip by Hamas, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog.
During an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Herzog confirmed that Americans were among those killed and kidnapped by the Iran-backed terrorist group.
“We understand that there are probably dozens of kidnapped Israelis and others in the hands of Hamas. We’ll have to deal with it in due time. The whole issue of hostages is a very sensitive issue. I think you know it from your situation, the US, and we’ve had experience in that in the past. It’s a very complicated situation,” he told host Margaret Brennan.
“I understand there are, but I don’t have details,” the ambassador answered when asked about whether there were Americans among those hostages.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Sunday that it was likely that Americans were among the hostages in Gaza.
“We have reports that several Americans were killed; we’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans and, there again, we’re working to verify those reports,” Blinken said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
This comes after Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border two weeks ago, killing at least 700 people. The attack prompted Israel to declare war against the terrorist group.
President Joe Biden has since shown his support for Israel and vowed that they will assist the country in their fight against the terrorists.
“We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack,” Biden said during his recent address. “There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.”
“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people,” he continued.
Palestinian supporters, meanwhile, are urging Israel to halt the killing of civilians after multiple buildings have been brought down and destroyed as a result of ongoing airstrikes on suspected Hamas sites.
