The American death toll in Israel after Hamas launched terrorist attacks on the country last weekend has risen to 30, the U.S. government said on Sunday.
In addition to the death toll rising from 29 killed, the State Department said more than a dozen Americans remain missing, though it is unclear how many are being held hostage in Gaza after President Joe Biden said last week that some U.S. citizens were among those taken.
“At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 30 U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected. At this time, we are also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted-for,” a State Department official said in a statement.
“State Department personnel have been in contact with their families,” the statement added. “The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts.”
Some of the Americans who were killed have been identified in media reports.
Overall, an estimated 1,300 people-plus in Israel have been killed in the attacks and roughly 3,200 more injured in the terrorist attacks and rocket barrages that have persisted over the past week. In addition, Hamas is believed to have taken dozens of hostages.
As Israeli forces wage war on Hamas, thousands of casualties have also been reported in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. officials have been working to help Americans evacuate Israel as well as the Gaza Strip. An estimated 500-600 Americans reside in Gaza, and some who have tried to leave said they were stuck at the border with Egypt, according to The New York Times.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC on Sunday the Biden administration has a “dedicated team” helping Americans get out of Gaza safely, but noted “Hamas has intervened in some cases to make it hard for Palestinians, Palestinian Americans and others to be able to travel to the border crossing and get through.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has traveled to the Middle East to visit Israel and other countries in the region to discuss the terrorist attacks and seek ways to stop the fighting from spreading as Israeli forces trade fire with Hezbollah at the Lebanon border and Iran warns of a regional conflict if “aggressions do not stop.”
The Biden administration has pledged support for Israel while condemning Hamas
“This weekend, I connected again with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reiterate unwavering U.S. support for Israel, and to provide an update on our military support and efforts to protect civilians,” Biden said in a Sunday post to X. “It’s time all countries unequivocally condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization that does not represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
