Secretary of State Antony Blinken forcefully reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel as he stood next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the recent terrorist attack.
Blinken's message, which came from Israel on Thursday afternoon local time, follows similar messages from President Joe Biden and many members of his administration since the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel's history last weekend.
ISRAEL WAR: BIDEN'S $6 BILLION IRAN PRISONER SWAP DEAL UNDER HARSH SPOTLIGHT
"You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to," Blinken said. "We will always be there by your side. That’s the message that President Biden delivered to the prime minister from the moment this crisis began. It’s the message that I and my other colleagues in the government have delivered to our Israeli counterparts on a daily, even an hourly, basis."
Twenty-five Americans were killed in the terrorist attacks, Blinken said, the latest update from the administration. There are fewer than 20 Americans who remain unaccounted for and could be among the 100-150 hostages terrorist groups took back to Gaza.
The United States's pledge of support has taken form in an increased U.S. military presence in the Middle East to deter new aggression from other adversaries of Israel, in addition to military aid.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the movement of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean and deployed additional Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region following the terrorist attacks to deter possible additional aggression. Air defense aid and munitions were also sent, the first of which have already arrived.
Israeli authorities said the updated death toll in Saturday's terrorist attacks exceeds 1,200 people, whereas Palestinian authorities have said more than 1,200 deaths in Gaza. The attacks began when Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups fired a large barrage of rockets, which the Israelis are generally able to intercept, while more than 1,000 terrorists broke through the border wall separating Gaza and Israel and launched attacks primarily against civilians.
Netanyahu, who has formed a unity government, said Israel will destroy Hamas as the Israel Defense Forces have launched hundreds of strikes into Gaza since Saturday.
“Hamas is ISIS, and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed, and Hamas should be treated exactly the way ISIS was treated,” Netanyahu said. “They should be spat out from the community of nations. No leader should meet with them. No country should harbor them. And those that do should be sanctioned."
The comparison of Hamas's terrorist attacks to the Islamic State has been made by both Israeli and U.S. officials due to the brutality of the scenes that have been uncovered and civilians being the primary victims. Blinken referenced, "Babies slaughtered, bodies desecrated, young people burned alive, women raped, parents executed in front of their children, children in front of their parents."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Despite Netanyahu's fiery language, Blinken affirmed the need to prevent the loss of civilian life in Gaza, which will be difficult for Israeli forces due to the dense population of Gaza and the terrorists' attempts to hide among civilians.
"Israel has the right, the obligation, to defend itself and to ensure that this never happens again," Blinken said. "As the prime minister and I discussed, how Israel does this matters. We democracies distinguish ourselves from terrorists by striving for a different standard, even when it's difficult. And holding ourselves to account when we fall short. Our humanity, the value that we place on human life and dignity, that’s what makes us who we are."