Americans reportedly killed, taken hostage in Hamas-Israel conflict

Nine U.S. citizens have died in the Israeli conflict, a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said Monday. Israeli officials on Sunday said American citizens are among the hostages that Hamas militants took in an attack over the weekend. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was seeking to verify those reports. Hamas, a Palestinian terror group, unleashed a surprise attack against Israel on Saturday, killing more than 700 people and wounding thousands more in land assaults and airstrikes. Palestinian fighters also took dozens of Israelis hostage.

What has Israel done about this? Israel has declared war on Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would deliver a “mighty vengeance” against the terror group. So far, more than 400 Palestinians have died in retaliatory strikes, and thousands are injured. Netanyahu also warned residents in Gaza to flee, promising the Israeli military would “operate forcefully everywhere.”

Dig deeper: Read Robert Nicholson’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Palestinians have refused to take the path to peace in the Middle East