(News21USA): Americans are among the hostages taken by Hamas and brought into Gaza, confirmed Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog on Sunday.
«I understand there, but I don’t have details,» Herzog said in an interview on CBS’ «Face the Nation.»
Hamas, the Islamist militant group controlling the Gaza Strip, launched an unprecedented attack on Israel early Saturday, resulting in hundreds of casualties and kidnappings. This massive incursion occurred a day after Israel commemorated the 50th anniversary of the surprise Yom Kippur invasion, marking it as one of the most significant surprise attacks in Israel’s history.
The Saturday morning incursion took Israel and its allies completely by surprise. Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, and heavily armed gunmen breached a barrier along Israel’s southern border. Some also infiltrated by air and sea. Israel responded by tracking down the invaders and launching retaliatory air strikes on Gaza targets shortly after.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned on Sunday morning that it was likely that Americans were among those killed and kidnapped.
«We have reports that several Americans were killed; we’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans, and we’re working to verify those reports,» Blinken said in an interview on CNN’s «State of the Union.»
