President Joe Biden will deliver remarks from the White House on Tuesday afternoon after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel, a White House official said.
Biden’s remarks are scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, days after Hamas fighters raided southern parts of the country, killing hundreds of people and taking hostages in a quickly evolving war.
In a statement Monday, Biden said 11 Americans were killed in the conflict, adding that “it is likely” that some Americans were among Hamas’ hostages.
“We are seeing the immense scale and reach of this tragedy,” Biden said. “In this moment of heartbreak, the American people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israelis. We remember the pain of being attacked by terrorists at home, and Americans across the country stand united against these evil acts that have once more claimed innocent American lives. It is an outrage.”
NBC News reported that the Biden administration is sending ships from the Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of Israel. The effort is also meant to serve as a clear message to Iran to “stand down,” according to a U.S. official, who said the U.S. also plans to keep some F-16 and A-10 fighter jets in place.
Biden also said in his statement that he reaffirmed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would “continue to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people” as Israel battles militants and as it has launched deadly retaliatory airstrikes on the Palestinian coastal enclave after its defense minister called for a “full siege” of Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had gathered 300,000 reservists amid speculation that Israel would launch a ground operation in Gaza.
The death toll has reached more than 1,000 people, including at least 700 in Israel, according to the military, and 687 in Gaza and the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Kelly O’Donnell
Kelly O’Donnell is Senior White House correspondent for NBC News.
Zoë Richards
Zoë Richards is the evening politics reporter for NBC News.
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