Blinken: US ‘working overtime’ to confirm reports Americans among those killed in Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that U.S. officials have received reports that several Americans have been killed in Israel as a result of Hamas’s attacks on the country. 

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Blinken said the U.S. is working to verify those reports. 

“Yes, we have reports that several Americans were killed,” Blinken told CNN’s Dana Bash when asked whether Americans were killed or kidnapped in Israel.

“We’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans, and there again, we’re working to verify those reports,” Blinken said. 

Blinken’s comments come after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in decades Saturday, killing an estimated 500 Israelis, according to reports. 

Blinken reiterated American support for Israel and described the war as “a massive terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, indiscriminate firing of rockets against civilians.”

President Biden has projected a similar sentiment, saying the United States stands with Israel and supports Israel’s right to defend itself.

“The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel,” Biden said in a statement Saturday.