WASHINGTON — President Biden announced Tuesday that Hamas is holding Americans hostage in Gaza and that at least 14 US citizens are confirmed to have died in the terrorist group’s weekend rampage across southern Israel.
“We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas,” Biden said during remarks at the White House.
A terror spokesman said Monday that Hamas would begin to conduct on-camera killings of hostages in retaliation for Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Biden did not specify exactly how many Americans are among the the roughly 150 people feared abducted in the stunning series of Saturday morning raids by air, land and sea, in which Hamas jihadists also slaughtered more than 1,000 civilians and Israeli troops.
“I’ve directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery and recovery efforts because as president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world,” Biden said.
The 80-year-old president made the remarks during a roughly 10-minute speech after remaining out of public view on Monday and Sunday. He took no questions from the press. Biden previously addressed the crisis in a 3-minute speech on Saturday afternoon, before the full scale of the carnage became clear.
Biden did not address calls from Republican politicians to halt the release of $6 billion in unfrozen assets to Iran, which reportedly helped Hamas plot the attacks and gave the go-ahead for the assault last week.
The president also didn’t directly mention pro-Hamas protests in major US cities that have seen hundreds of people rally in support of the terrorist group.
“There are moments in this life, and I mean this literally, when pure unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world.The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend,” Biden began his statement, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“This was an act of sheer evil. More than 1,000 civilians slaughtered — not just killed, slaughtered — in Israel. Among them, at least 14 American citizens killed,” Biden said.
The president detailed: “Parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children. Stomach-turning reports of babies being killed. Entire families slain. Young people massacred while attending a musical festival to celebrate peace — to celebrate peace. Women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies. Families hidden in fear for hours and hours, desperately trying to keep their children quiet to avoid drawing attention.
“There’s still so many families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, not knowing if they’re alive or dead, or hostages,” Biden went on.
“Infants in their mother’s arms, grandparents in wheelchairs, Holocaust survivors abducted and held hostage — hostages who Hamas has now threatened to execute in violation of every code of human morality. It’s abhorrent.”
The president added that “the brutality of Hamas… brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS.”
Biden, who spoke for a third time since the attacks Tuesday morning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the US government would help supply Israel with weaponry to fight the terror group and expected Israel to come down hard on Hamas.
“I told him, if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive and overwhelming,” Biden said.
“We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome. We’re gonna make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.”
“In this moment, we must be crystal clear. We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel,” Biden said.
“And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack.”
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