WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden vowed Tuesday Israel has the full support of the United States three days after Hamas militants launched terrorist attacks in Israel.
“In this moment, we must be crystal clear,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. “We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel.”
Standing alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden condemned the attack by Hamas, which has seen babies and families murdered in the past three days.
“There are moments in this life when pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on the world,” Biden said. “The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend.”
“Infants in their mothers’ arms, grandparents in wheelchairs, Holocaust survivors abducted and held hostage — hostages who Hamas has now threatened to execute in violation of every code of human morality,” he added. “It’s abhorrent.”
The President confirmed fourteen Americans have been killed in the fighting and added more are being held hostage by Hamas terrorists.
“We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas,” he 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. Because as president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan later said there are 20 Americans confirmed missing but would not confirm if they were being held hostage.
“We do not know about their condition, and we cannot confirm a precise number of American citizens,” Sullivan said.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered 40 dead babies, some decapitated as well as families being forced to watch the massacre take place before being killed themselves.
“The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas, a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews,” Biden continued. “This was an act of sheer evil. More than 1,000 civilians were slaughtered, not just killed, in Israel. Among them, at least 14 American citizens were killed.”
Biden also indirectly made a swipe at the current chaos in Congress with the House currently having no speaker following Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. The President vowed to ask for “urgent actions to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners” when Congress returns to work.
“This is not about party or politics,” he said. “It’s about the security of our world.”
