25 Americans killed in Hamas attack: US secretary of state

JERUSALEM

At least 25 Americans have been killed in the Hamas attack in Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Thursday.

“Tragically, the number of innocent lives claimed by Hamas’s heinous attacks continues to rise,” Blinken said at a joint press conference in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We joined families in Israel in the United States around the world in mourning their immeasurable loss,” he added.

Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday for a visit aimed at showing US support for Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attack this weekend.

“The message I bring with me is this: you may (be) strong enough on your own to defend yourselves but as long as America exists you will never have to,” he said.

Netanyahu, for his part, vowed to “crush” Hamas.

“They should be spit out from the community of nations. No leader should meet them. No country should harbor them. And those that do should be sanctioned,” he said.

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip. Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

More than 2,700 people have been killed since the outbreak of violence on Saturday, including over 1,400 Palestinians and 1,300 Israelis.