White House working to confirm reports of Americans kidnapped and killed in Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the White House is aware of reports of the death and kidnapping of US citizens in Israel, as a result of the massive and unprecedented attack launched by the Hamas terrorist group since Gaza Strip on Saturday morning.

In an interview on NBC News on Sunday, Blinken told host Kristen Welker that President Joe Biden’s administration is working to confirm the facts.

“We have reports that several Americans may be among the dead. “We are working very actively to verify these reports,” the official said. “Likewise, we have seen reports about hostages and, again, we are very actively trying to review those and nail that down.”

According to unconfirmed reports, people of multiple nationalities were among those killed by Hamas at a music festival in southern Israel, near the border with Gaza.

Witnesses to the attack said a Hamas gunman opened fire on a crowd of hundreds of people, although reports of festival casualties have not yet been verified.

Hamas military commander Muhammad Al-Deif said the attack on Israel was a “sophisticated and brutal” operation, involving the launching of thousands of rockets and the infiltration of hundreds of militants by land, sea and air, some of them using paragliders. The terrorist group also claimed to have captured several Israeli soldiers and posted videos of the alleged prisoners on its social media.

Israel responded with intense airstrikes on targets in Gaza and its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the enemy “will pay a price it has never known.”

It was officially announced that more than 500 people have lost their lives, according to figures provided by the Israeli Ministry of Health.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is one of the most serious in years and has generated great international concern about the escalation of violence and the possibility of open war. Several countries have called for an immediate ceasefire and respect for international humanitarian law.

With information from Fox News