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US sends warships, ammunition to Israel after surprise attack; death toll may include Americans: Updates
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said officials are working to verify reports that several Americans were killed and others taken hostage.
Internacional
The rapidly intensifying war between Israel and Palestinian militants roared through a second day Sunday, with the Israeli Security Cabinet formally declaring war and the death toll closing in on 1,000 — a figure that may include some Americans.
More than 600 Israelis have been killed since Hamas militants began their assault Saturday on almost two dozen Israeli towns and army bases, ZAKA, a volunteer group that handles human remains after terror attacks, told Israeli media. ZAKA said 250 bodies were found at a music festival near the Gaza border.
Dozens of Israelis, and apparently some Americans, were taken hostage, officials on both sides said. Palestinian authorities said more than 300 fighters and civilians have been killed by Israeli counterattacks in Gaza. Each side reported thousands of wounded.
The violence began Saturday, when the first of thousands of rockets fired from Gaza pounded parts of southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli areas near the Gaza border, killing and wounding civilians and Israeli security forces and taking hostages, prompting the Israel military to strike back.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said U.S. officials are working to verify reports that several Americans have been killed and others taken hostage.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh blamed Israel for the war, accusing it of "creating a climate of hatred, violence, incitement, and violating international law."
'We are at war:'Israel's Netanyahu says as Hamas launches surprise multi-front attack
Developments:
∎ The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's leader says militants in Gaza are holding dozens of Israeli prisoners. Ziad Nakhaleh said no hostages will be released until all Palestinian prisoners are freed from Israeli jails. Israel’s minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, confirmed to CNN that American citizens were among those taken captive.
∎ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and all expressed "unqualified support" for Israel's right to defend itself, Netanyahu said.
∎Germany and Britain said they were reevaluating aid packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars that had been earmarked for Palestinian areas.
A ball of fire and smoke rise from an explosion on a Palestinian apartment tower following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.
Biden assures Netanyahu of US support
President Joe Biden spoke Sunday with Netanyahu, discussing the hostages that include entire families, the elderly, and young children, the White House said. Biden emphasized that there was no justification for terrorism and that all countries must "stand united in the face of such brutal atrocities."
Biden updated Netanyahu on the intensive diplomatic efforts undertaken by the U.S. over the last 24 hours in support of Israel and assured the prime minister that "additional assistance" for the Israeli Defense Forces was en route to Israel with more to follow in the coming days.
In a message on X Sunday afternoon, Biden reaffirmed his "full support" for the people of Israel and said the U.S. will remain "in close contact over the coming days."
Also Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Harris expressed condolences on behalf of her and her husband for the victims of the attacks and all those affected.
− Francesca Chambers
US sending warships, ammunition to Israel
The Pentagon is rushing warships, warplanes, and ammunition to the Middle East and to Israel, the Defense Department said Sunday. The USS Gerald Ford Strike Group, including its namesake aircraft carrier, as well as several destroyers and cruisers, have been sent to the eastern Mediterranean, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. In addition, the region's squadrons of F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 warplanes are being bolstered.
The Pentagon also will begin shipping equipment and ammunition to the Israeli Defense Forces starting Sunday.
“My thoughts continue to be with the people of Israel and the many families who have lost loved ones as a result of the abhorrent terrorist attack by Hamas,” Austin said.
− Tom Vanden Brook
Blinken: Some Americans may have been killed, taken hostage
Blinken, making the rounds on Sunday talk shows, said U.S. officials are working to verify reports that Americans have died and that others may be held hostage.
“Any American anywhere who is being detained or held hostage, that is going to be a priority for this government, for this administration, and for me, but I don’t want to get ahead of where we are," Blinken said on NBC's Meet the Press. "We have reports; we need to verify them.”
As of Sunday evening, U.S. defense officials in a private briefing for House representatives said at least four American citizens were killed in the attacks in Israel, and that number is expected to rise, according to CNN.
Israel will “do anything” to free hostages taken in Gaza, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Maj. Doron Spielman told CNN.