'This is terrorism': Biden confirms US hostages held; 14 Americans killed by Hamas
WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden said the U.S. stands with Israel after Hamas' brutal massacre in Israel, condemning the attack as "pure, unadulterated evil" and pledging to support Israel with military aid as war erupts in the Middle East.
"At this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel," Biden said Tuesday in remarks from the White House State Dining Room. "We will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack. There's no justification for terrorism. There's no excuse."
In the the deadliest attack on Israel in decades, more than 1,000 Israelis and at least 14 Americans were killed Saturday when Hamas militants crashed through the Israeli border along the Gaza Strip and launched a surprise invasion. Israel has responded with attacks on Gaza that intensified with more bombings Tuesday.
Biden called Hamas "a terrorist organization" whose "stated purpose for being is to kill Jews." Describing the attack in graphic terms, he said parents were "butchered" trying to protect their children and cited "stomach-turning reports" of Israeli babies being murdered, Holocaust survivors taken captive, women raped and entire families slain.
Biden said Israel has a "right to respond and indeed has a duty to respond" four days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas.
"There are moments in this life − I mean this literally − when pure unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world," Biden said. "The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend."
An estimated 100 to 150 people in Israel were kidnapped by Hamas militants and are being held captive in Gaza. That includes some Americans, Biden confirmed for the first time. Hamas leaders have warned they will execute hostages if Israel does not cease airstrikes on Gaza without warnings.
At least 20 Americans in Israel still unaccounted for
Biden said Hamas' threat about killing hostages violates "every code of human morality," comparing Hamas' "blood-thirstiness" to the worst rampages of ISIS. "This is terrorism. But sadly, for the Jewish people, it's not new," Biden said.
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser for the White House, said the Biden administration is actively working with Israel to determine the whereabouts of the missing, including missing Americans. He said the U.S. believes there are at least 20 Americans missing but not necessarily taken hostage.
"We do not know the number of hostages we have at this time," Sullivan.
Biden warned Americans not to direct hate toward any religious group after the attack, calling it "a moment for the United States to come together" and grieve with those mourning. "Let's be real clear. There is no place for hate in America, not against Jews, not against Muslims," Biden said.
On Tuesday morning, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Netanyahu about "coordinated efforts with partners and allies" to defend Israel, the White House said.
White House to ask Congress for funds for both Israel and Ukraine
Biden said he plans to ask Congress to take "urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners." The U.S. has already provided Israel with additional ammunition and interceptors to replenish Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, Biden said.
"We're going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens," Biden said.
The conflict between Israel comes as the U.S. is also asking Congress to approve additional aid for Ukraine to help Kyiv defend against Russia's invasion. Sullivan said the request for Israel aid won't deter the push for more Ukraine funding, though he said details of the funding package remain unclear.
"The notion that we're going to go up and ask for Israel aid and Ukraine aid, that's unequivocal," Sullivan said. "We are going to do that."
Asked about Iran's possible role in the attack, Sullivan said the U.S. has searched for, but so far hasn't found, evidence that Iran either knew about the attack or helped Hamas.
"We don't currently have that information," Sullivan said. "We will continue to look for it."
Is the Israel-Hamas war a test for President Biden?
The attack is another major foreign policy test for Biden who is already struggling to keep assistance flowing to Ukraine.
It jeopardizes the administration’s efforts to help Israel and Saudi Arabia formalize relations, one of the ways Biden had hoped would stabilize the Middle East and allow attention to be focused on the growing challenge of China.
And Republicans are trying to lay some of the blame for the attacks on the administration, pointing to a recent deal to free Americans held in Iran that gave Iran access to $6 billion in frozen funds. Iran is a longtime supporter of Hamas.
The administration has responded that the money, which has not yet been released, can only be spent for humanitarian purposes.
Asked Tuesday if the U.S. will now refreeze the funds, Sullivan said: "Not a dollar of that money has been spent. And I will leave it at that."
What is Hamas?
Hamas was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, or Islamic resistance movement. The group’s charter calls for establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that would replace the current state of Israel.
The political wing of Hamas was born in later years. Hamas' political wing has controlled Gaza since winning elections in 2006, which prompted Israel to enforce a blockade on Gaza.
It was founded by a Palestinian activist connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization with ties to Egypt. Iran provides Hamas with financial, material and logistical support and it also cooperates with Hezbollah, another Iran-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist group, based in Lebanon.
Is Hamas a terrorist organization?
The militant organization is committed to the destruction of Israel and has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S., the EU and various nations.
The group has vowed to annihilate Israel and has been responsible for many suicide bombings and other deadly attacks on civilians and Israeli soldiers.
Over the years, Hamas received backing from Arab countries, such as Qatar and Turkey. Recently, it’s moved closer to Iran and its allies.
Why did Hamas attack Israel?
Hamas has said it attacked Israel in response to mounting Palestinian suffering under Israeli occupation and Israel's and Egypt's 16-year blockade of Gaza that has decimated Gaza's economy.
Israel has made peace deals with Arab counties in recent years but not made concessions in its long conflict with the Palestinians. The U.S. has tried to reach a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a bitter rival of Hamas’ Iranian backers.
Meanwhile, Israel’s new far-right government was working to cement Israeli settlements in the West Bank despite Palestinian opposition.
Hamas leaders say an Israeli crackdown on militants in the West Bank, continued construction of settlements − which the international community has deemed illegal − thousands of prisoners in Israeli jails, and its ongoing blockade of Gaza pushed it to attack.
How did the attack unfold?
Hamas' surprise sea, land and air attack resulted in the largest one-day killing of Jews since the Holocaust.
The attack began with thousands of rockets fired from inside the Gaza Strip into Israel early Saturday. About an hour later, Hamas gunmen crossed the Israeli border at different locations and began attacking residential areas and military bases.
Hamas militants killed an estimated 260 people at the Supernova music festival in a section of open desert near Kibbutz Re’im, about 2 miles from the Gaza border. An unknown number were taken hostage.
Contributing: Associated Press
Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'This is terrorism': Biden confirms American hostages held by Hamas
