The United States has instructed its officials to send a team of hostage rescue experts to assist Israel with hostage retrieval after President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday that the US believes that Americans are among dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.
Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt was shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing. More than 100 Israeli hostages, including women and children, may have been taken into Gaza by Hamas, according to media reports. Biden said Tuesday at least 14 US citizens were killed in Hamas' attack and that Americans are among those being held hostage in Gaza.
In a statement, the United States said that the State Department is providing consular assistance as well as updated security alerts to American citizens in Israel. "We also know that American citizens still remain unaccounted for, and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts. My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days. The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable," the statement said.
Biden also said that he had instructed officials to share intelligence and deploy a team of hostage experts to Israel to assist with the response. “The basic dilemma which affects the United States if in fact there are U.S. nationals [or dual nationals] hostage is, how do the Israelis reconcile a major incursion into Gaza with the fate of those hostages?” Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official told the Washington Post.
Biden said the US has also enhanced its military force posture in the region. In fact, the first shipment of advanced US weapons and equipment landed in Israel on Tuesday evening. The multi-pronged attacks against Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza since Saturday and the subsequent Israeli attacks on Gaza have left over 1,200 people dead triggering mounting global concerns.
