Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday that there are American hostages in the Gaza Strip. The president spoke to the press, criticized Hamas for the terrorist attacks in Israel and reinforced his rhetoric in favor of the Jewish state in the conflict that began in the early hours of Saturday, when the jihadist group began murdering Israeli civilians. Accompanied by Kamala Harris and Antony Blinken, the Democrat also confirmed that the number of Americans killed so far amounted to 14.
Biden provided an update on the war between Israel and Hamas. During his speech, he confirmed that "there are American citizens among those held by Hamas." Therefore, he said he has instructed his government to begin evaluating all possibilities to bring them home.
"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," he added.
BREAKING: "We now know American citizens are being held by Hamas," President Biden says.
"I've directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts ... to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts." pic.twitter.com/pHPMlkukGo
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 10, 2023
In turn, the president tried to remove all partisan overtones from the issue, stating that "it is not about parties or politics, it is about the security of our world, the security of the United States of America."
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, indicated that the number of American citizens kidnapped in the Gaza Strip is unknown. At the same time, he estimates that there are about 20 missing so far, which does not necessarily mean that there are more than 20 American hostages.
Before Biden's confirmation, much speculation circulated about the existence or not of American hostages. John Kirby, White House spokesman for national security issues, said Monday that he could not confirm or deny the existence of hostages.
