At least nine Americans were killed in Israel during widespread terrorist attacks across the country by Hamas, according to the State Department on Monday.
State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller issued a statement that said:
At this time, we can confirm the deaths of nine U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected.
We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in touch with our Israeli partners and the local authorities. We are in touch with the families and providing all appropriate consular assistance. We will continue to provide information to U.S. citizens in the area through Alerts, our embassy website, and travel.state.gov.
We can confirm that there are unaccounted-for U.S. citizens, and we are working with our Israeli partners to determine their whereabouts.
Nine Americans killed by Hamas terrorists in Israel. https://t.co/x80E63aDUA
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 9, 2023
An unknown number of Americans are being held hostage by Hamas militants, according to an Israeli official.
“All I can say is that we know that there are Americans among the hostages,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog told CNN on Sunday:
Israel’s ambassador confirms Americans are being held hostage by Hamas pic.twitter.com/lJX1wOLlyI
— News Now 24ἱ (@GlobalNewsNow24) October 8, 2023
Despite being aware of reports of Americans killed and held hostage by Hamas, the White House held a BBQ with a live band on Sunday evening.
As reported by Breitbart News’s Kurt Zindulka:
According to the latest estimates, at least 700 people in Israel have been killed by Hamas terrorists, including approximately 260 who were massacred at a music festival in Southern Israel on Saturday. Around 2,400 have also been wounded in the fighting, and over 100 are believed to have been taken hostage by the Palestinians.
…at least 4,400 rockets have rained down on Israel since the start of the fighting on Saturday morning, which coincided with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle. The Palestinians, meanwhile, have claimed that 493 people have died in Gaza, with a further 2,751 wounded
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