At least 22 United States citizens have been killed in the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas after the Palestinian group launched a series of attacks early Saturday.
More than 2,200 people have died in the conflict, and hundreds of people have been injured. It is unknown how many U.S. citizens are among the approximately 150 hostages captured by Hamas.
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Here is what we know about those killed in the attacks.
Deborah Martias
Missouri-born mother Deborah Martias, 50, and her husband were killed as they attempted to shield their teenage son during the attack.
In an interview with MSNBC, her father, a professor at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, described Deborah and her husband as “idealists” who sent their children to a school that taught both Hebrew and Arabic “in the hope that somehow Jews and Arabs would learn to understand more about each other,” and “change the course of history here.”
Deborah’s son Rotem was shot in the abdomen, but his family instructed him how to stay alive via text message for approximately 12 hours until help arrived, according to the Washington Post.
Hayim Katsman
Hayim Katsman, 32, committed his life to facilitating a peaceful resolution between Israel and Palestine. He earned his doctorate from the University of Washington in 2021, dedicating his dissertation to “all life forms that exist between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.”
Katsman was adamant that he wanted to live in Israel despite the conflict. During the attack, Katsman was shot as he protected his neighbor, Avital Alajem, from gunfire.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was attending the Tribe of Nova music festival when the attack occurred. He fired off two texts to his mother on WhatsApp, according to the Washington Post.
“I love you,” read the first text. “I’m sorry,” read the second.
Goldberg-Polin was last seen alive with his arm missing from the elbow down, loaded onto a pickup truck with three other men and two women.
Danielle Ben-Senyor
Danielle Ben-Senyor, 34, was also at the Tribe of Nova music festival when the attack started and has not been seen since. Her family is holding out hope that she may still be alive.
Adrienne Neta
Adrienne Neta, a California-born nurse, was reportedly sitting on her patio on the phone with her family when the terrorists entered her home and kidnapped her.
Sagui Dekel-Chen
Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, was also taken by Hamas after attempting to fight back against the terrorists who infiltrated his kibbutz. Dekel-Chen is expecting a third child with his wife.
Itay Chen
Itay Chen is an IDF soldier who was not originally scheduled to be on duty at the time of the attack, but traded shifts so he could make it to his younger brother’s bar mitzvah the following week. The IDF has informed Chen’s family that he is missing in action.
Not all of the victims have been identified by U.S. officials. U.S. citizens who have been killed or missing include tourists visiting Israel, U.S. citizens serving in the IDF, American-born individuals who immigrated to Israel, and children born in Israel to American parents. Their ages range from 18 to 80.
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While the White House has not confirmed how many American hostages are being held by Hamas, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he has "no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.”
Biden has condemned the actions of Hamas as “pure unadulterated evil.”