08 October 2023 , 14:22
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It's likely Americans were kidnapped and killed in Israel during the massive attack from Hamas militants on Saturday, it has been confirmed.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the US is working to confirm reports that several Americans were killed.
“We have reports that several Americans were killed. 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 told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
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Smoke rises over buildings in Gaza City following an Israeli air strike (Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Blinken added that additional aid will be given to Israel. He said: “We’re looking at specific additional requests that the Israelis have made – I think you’re likely to hear more about that later today."
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The top US diplomat added that the US would “make sure that we’re providing Israel everything it needs in this moment to deal with the attacks from Hamas.”
Israeli soldiers continue to battle Hamas fighters in the streets of southern Israel on Sunday and have launched retaliation strikes that levelled buildings in Gaza.
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States, says they are working to see if Americans have been caught up in the fighting (Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/REX/Shutterstock)The unprecedented surprise attack from Gaza saw Hamas militants, backed by a volley of thousands of rockets, break through Israel’s security barrier and rampage through nearby communities. At least 600 people have reportedly been killed in Israel and the figure is expected to rise.
The militants also took captives back into the coastal Gaza enclave, including women, children and the elderly, whom they will likely try to trade for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defence missile system in the early hours of October 8, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)The high death toll, multiple captives and slow response to the onslaught pointed to a major intelligence failure and undermined the long-held perception that Israel has eyes and ears everywhere in the small, densely populated territory it has controlled for decades.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was at war and would exact a heavy price from its enemies. His Security Cabinet officially declared the country at war in an announcement on Sunday, saying the decision formally authorizes “the taking of significant military steps.”
The implications of the announcement were not immediately clear. Israel has carried out major military campaigns over the past four decades in Lebanon and Gaza that it portrayed as wars, but without a formal declaration.
Residents salvage some belongings from a building destroyed by an Israeli air strike (AFP via Getty Images)Yohanan Plesner, the head of the Israel Democracy Institute, a local think tank, said the decision is largely symbolic, but “demonstrates that the government thinks we are entering a more lengthy, intense and significant period of war.”
A major question now was whether Israel will launch a ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties. Netanyahu vowed that Hamas “will pay an unprecedented price.” But, he warned, “This war will take time. It will be difficult.”
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