1 of 4 | Rescuers remove people from under the rubble of a house destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. The Israeli army said it hit more than 500 targets in the Gaza Strip in overnight strikes. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Oct. 9 (UPI) — At least 11 U.S. citizens are among those killed in the bloody conflict in Israel over the weekend, President Joe Biden confirmed Monday, while more than 100 people are believed to be held captive.
“Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel,” Biden said in a statement, adding, “It’s heart wrenching. These families have been torn apart by inexcusable hatred and violence.”
The president also said U.S. officials believe an unspecified number of Americans remain unaccounted for in the wake of Hamas’ unprecedented assaults on Israeli territory, which included a wave of hostage-taking in the southern part of the country.
Biden said U.S. officials are “working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts.
“My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days. The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable.”
Meanwhile citizens from multiple countries are among those believed to be held captive by Hamas.
At least 900 people in Israel have been killed in the attacks launched by Hamas, according to an official update issued to Israeli media, while Palestine’s Health Ministry said 678 Palestinians have been killed, including 140 children and 105 women. Hospitals have taken in 3,726 people with injuries.
The agency estimates about 10% of them are children.
Israeli officials say more than 100 people have been taken captive by Hamas, while Hamas claims to have taken more than 130 hostages, according to The Times of Israel.
“The most important thing that the world can do for Israel now is have an unequivocal demand to free the hostages,” said Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs. “I think they should have very, very strong action, as well, against Iran. You should snap back the United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran.”
The U.S. Embassy in Israel says U.S. citizens in Israel with missing family members in Gaza should contact the Israel National Police for assistance. Many Israelis have taken to social media to share photos and seek information on missing people.
Israel Hayom, an Israeli daily newspaper, published a list of more than a dozen people who may be in captivity, several with photos. Among them is Noa Argamani, a 25-year-old woman who was seen on video being kidnapped from a festival in southern Israel on Saturday.
Hagar Levy shared a photo on Facebook of his younger sister Sigal Levi on Saturday, writing that she was volunteering at a party and has not been heard from since.
Ela Bahat, a resident of Beit Alfa, Israel, posted photos of Dror Behat on Saturday after losing contact with him. On Monday, she confirmed that Behat had been killed.
“Our Dror was murdered and lost forever. Our hearts are broken,” she wrote.
The Foreign Ministry of Thailand reports that 11 Thai nationals were taken hostage and 12 have been killed. Another nine have been injured. The Himalayan Republic’s embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed that 10 citizens of Nepal were killed.
Twenty-two of 29 Filipinos that were initially reported missing have been rescued by Israeli security forces, according to the Philippine Embassy in Israel.
Smoke rises above buildings in the southern Gaza Strip, following an Israeli strike on October 9. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
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