At least 11 Americans have been killed in Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel. The leaders of a number of major European countries and the United States expressed their support for Israel in a joint statement on Monday evening.
The statement, which has been drafted by the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the US, states that Israel “the full right to defend itself against these atrocities.” The country can count on the support of the European Union and the US.
Hamas’s attack is “unambiguously condemned.” “Terrorism is never justifiable,” the leaders said. At the same time, they support “the ambitions of the Palestinian people” and “equal rights and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians.”
“But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those ambitions and offers the Palestinian people nothing but more terror and bloodshed,” French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and U.S. President Joe Biden write.
The American president also reports that an unknown number of American citizens are still missing. Washington takes into account that Hamas militants have also taken Americans hostage. It was previously clear that 150 Israelis were kidnapped. The American death toll has been adjusted from nine to at least eleven.
As far as we know, there are no Dutch victims in Israel. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported two deaths and 14 missing people on Monday evening, including a twelve-year-old boy, who is believed to have a twelve-year-old boy.
In a statement, Biden writes that the U.S. State Department is trying to assist compatriots in Israel as well as possible. “There are commercial flights for those who want to leave,” the president said. He calls on Americans in Israel to “press to take precautions for the days that follow.” The Israeli army has called 300,000 reservists and a ground offensive is expected in Gaza.
The US president emphasizes that Israel and the US are “inseparable partners.” “We remember the pain of the terrorist attacks on our country,” Biden said, probably referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Israel can count on arms supplies from the US in the near future. “The first cargo planes have already left,” a high-ranking defense official told Reuters. It would include air defense and ammunition. The employee also says that the arms supplies to Israel do not come at the expense of those to Ukraine or vice versa.
U.S. naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, are on its way to Israeli waters, another high-ranking officer confirms to Reuters.
Furthermore, the White House says that Iran is “complimede with” Hamas’ attack on Israel, but that direct evidence of involvement is still lacking.
About the author: Christy Olsen
Christy Olsen, a young author who followed in her father's footsteps and took up journalism at school. She often introduces a lot of subjective things into his texts, always tries to state the essence and give a proper assessment.
