US works to confirm reports 'several Americans' killed, missing in Israel
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said US citizens could be among the more than 100 people the Israeli government said were held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
WASHINGTON — The United States is working to verify reports that “several Americans” were killed as Hamas carried out the deadliest attack on Israel in decades, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.
Blinken also said it’s possible US citizens were among the hostages held by Hamas, whose fighters reportedly abducted more than 100 civilians and soldiers when they stormed towns across southern Israel in a surprise attack on Saturday.
"We have reports that several Americans may be among the dead. We are very actively working to verify those reports," Blinken told NBC on Sunday. “Similarly, we’ve seen reports about hostages and they’re — again — we’re very actively trying to verify them and nail that down.”
He added that he did not think Iran, which has long supported Hamas, played any role in the attack.
