The president also said in remarks at the White House that the number of Americans confirmed killed in the attacks has risen to 14, among more than 1,000 people in Israel killed.
“We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas,” Biden said.
“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 efforts,” he said.
Biden pledged U.S. resources to rescue Americans, stating, “As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the U.S. does not know the exact number of hostages at this point and does not have information about their condition.
Sullivan said the U.S. believes there are 20 or more Americans who are missing at this point. He clarified that’s the number of individuals unaccounted for, while the exact number of hostages is still unclear.
U.S. officials previously warned it was likely that Americans were among those held by Hamas, with White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Monday calling it a “grim” possibility.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
