President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that 14 Americans were killed in the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and that more were being held as hostages.
‘You know there are moments in this life — I mean this literally — when a pure , unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world,’ he said, flanked by Vice President Kamal Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
‘The people of Israel, lived through one such moment this weekend.’
He promised that the US would stand by Israel as it mourned the deaths of over 1,000 people in a surprise attack on Saturday morning.
He was chastised for his slow response to the crisis, which included hosting a barbecue for staff on Sunday and not appearing in public on Monday.
Despite a threat from Hamas militants to execute a captive for every home hit, Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with the fiercest air strikes in its 75-year conflict with the Palestinians on Tuesday, turning districts to dust.
He had been criticized for a sluggish response to the crisis, hosting a barbecue for staff on Sunday and not appearing in public on Monday.
Despite a threat from Hamas militants to execute a captive for every home hit, Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with the fiercest air strikes in its 75-year conflict with the Palestinians on Tuesday, turning districts to dust.
Biden spoke to the nation after his third phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in four days.
The White House had previously stated that it expected to meet Israel’s additional security requests as soon as possible.
The US does not intend to deploy military forces on the ground, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.
