On Tuesday, President Joe Biden confirmed that at least 14 Americans have been killed by Hamas terrorists in the attack against Israel, and more than 20 are still missing. Speaking from the White House, Biden said “I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.”
One of the suspected U.S. hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, attended the Supernova music festival which was where dozens of Hamas members parachuted in and slaughtered almost 300 civilians. His mother Rachel Goldberg said he has not answered his phone since, and believes he was “put on a pickup truck and driven away by Hamas.”
Biden mentioned the “abhorrent” terrorism and said the United States would send ammunition and interceptors to assist in replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. Biden mentioned there will be increased security among Jewish communities to “identify and disrupt” any domestic threats.
One surprising event is that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denounced the members of Congress, all Democrats, who do not back U.S. support for Israel. The members include representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and other members of the squad who have called for “an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation.”
“We believe they are wrong, we believe they are repugnant, and we believe they are disgraceful” Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “Our condemnation belongs squarely with terrorists who have brutally murdered, raped, and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis. There can be no equivocation about that. There are not two sides here.”
Biden also said that the U.S. will “share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.”
Many are furious that the Biden administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian funds just weeks ago, as Iran was behind the funding of Hamas and gave the “go-ahead” for Hamas’ attack. Members of the GOP are calling on Biden to freeze the funds and re-issue them to Israel.