President Joe Biden will address the nation from the White House on Tuesday afternoon following Hamas’ unprecedented terror attack on Israel.
Biden’s remarks are set for 1 p.m. and come days after Hamas fighters invaded part of southern Israel, killing at least 900 people, most of them civilians, while taking about 100 hostages in a rapidly developing war.
Biden said in a statement Monday that 11 Americans had been killed in the conflict, but noted that there could likely be more American citizens among Hamas’ hostages.
“We see the tremendous scope and scale of this tragedy,” Biden said.
“In this moment of sorrow, the American people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israelis. We remember the pain of being attacked by terrorists at home, and Americans across the country stand united against these evil acts that have once again claimed innocent American lives. It’s an outrage.’
President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the nation from the White House on Tuesday afternoon in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel
Hamas fighters invaded part of southern Israel, killing at least 900 people, most of them civilians
Hamas has reportedly taken around 100 hostages in a rapidly developing war
In his statement, Biden reaffirmed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US “will continue to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people” as Israel battles militant extremists.
Earlier on Monday, other leaders from Germany, Britain, France and Italy issued a joint statement condemning the attacks and expressing their “firm and united support” for Israel.
“Over the coming days, we will remain united and coordinated, together as allies and as mutual friends of Israel, to ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle- East region,” said. the statement by Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“We offer our steadfast and united support to the State of Israel, and our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its horrific acts of terrorism,” the leaders said.
Israel has now responded by launching deadly retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza after the defense minister called for a ‘full siege’ of the coastal enclave.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged his ‘firm support for Israel’. He attended a synagogue in north London for victims and hostages of Hamas attacks
Israel has now responded by launching deadly retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza after the defense minister called for a ‘full siege’ of the coastal enclave. In the photo, smoke can be seen rising and fireball over a building in Gaza City on Monday during an Israeli airstrike
The Israeli army said 300,000 reservists had been called up amid speculation that a ground offensive in Gaza could be launched in the coming days.
The Biden administration is also sending ships from the Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel.
One US official said NBC News that the US plans to keep some F-16 and A-10 fighter jets in place.
Apart from Israel’s rising death toll, at least 700 people in Gaza and the West Bank have also died, said the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The UK, France, Germany have all signed a statement of support for the Jewish state
Early Tuesday morning, the Israeli army said it had largely gained control in the south and “restored full control” of the border.
Spokesman Richard Hecht said 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants had been found in Israeli territory and no Hamas fighters had crossed into Israel since Monday evening, although infiltrations may still be possible.
Hecht said the military hit hundreds of Hamas targets overnight in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, which is home to many of Hamas’ ministries and government buildings.
He said residents were notified via social media before the strikes to evacuate, but did not elaborate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that Israel’s fierce offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has ‘only just begun’.
“We just started hitting Hamas,” he said. ‘What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.’