The U.S. State Department announced Sunday that the number of Americans killed in the recent Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel has increased to 30.
According to a statement attributed to a State Department official, the government has been able to “confirm the deaths of 30 U.S. citizens” in Israel. In addition to the American citizens who have been killed in Israel, the State Department official confirmed that multiple U.S. citizens are currently missing in Israel.
“At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 30 U.S. citizens,” the statement said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected. At this time, we are also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted-for.”
According to The Daily Wire, while 30 Americans have been killed and 13 have been reported as “missing,” the number of Americans held as hostages by Hamas in Gaza is not yet known; however, President Joe Biden announced last week that some U.S. citizens were taken hostage by the Hamas terrorists.
“State Department personnel have been in contact with their families,” the State Department added. “The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts.”
At this point, it is estimated that over 1,300 people have been killed and about 3,200 have been injured in Israel as a result of the Hamas attacks, according to a CBS News report.
After speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden released a statement Sunday on X regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“This weekend, I connected again with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reiterate unwavering U.S. support for Israel, and to provide an update on our military support and efforts to protect civilians,” Biden said. “It’s time all countries unequivocally condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization that does not represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
