Topline
At least 22 U.S. citizens have been killed in Israel since Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack from Gaza on Saturday, according to the State Department, as the death toll of the conflict continues to grow.
Israeli air strikes targeted Gaza City following Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Key Facts
More than 2,250 people have been killed since the fighting broke out between Hamas and Israel, including 1,200 people in Israel and another 1,055 in Gaza, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.
The 22 Americans killed in the fighting is an increase from the 14 that President Joe Biden said Tuesday had died since Hamas launched its attack, the deadliest in years, following rising tensions in the decades-long conflict.
Some 17 more Americans remain unaccounted for, and the number of U.S. citizens killed is likely to increase, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press conference on Wednesday.
White House National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby said “a number of those Americans” are being held hostage by Hamas and that U.S. officials are likely to learn “more Americans are part of the hostage pool.”
Key Background
Hamas breached the Israeli border by air, land and sea on Saturday. Fighters entered southern Israel and sent a barrage of missiles as far as Tel Aviv, killing over 1,000 Israeli residents and leading militants to take scores of hostages back to Gaza in the biggest attack in years. In response to the attack, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “take might vengeance,” warning Gaza residents to evacuate and pledging to “destroy” Hamas as airstrikes hit the densely populated territory, while U.S. officials—including President Joe Biden—have condemned Hamas’ attack and pledged to stand with Israel. The attack follows decades of conflict between Israel and militants in the Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, which Israel’s military occupied in 1967 but withdrew from in 2005, after which Hamas took control.
Tangent
Gaza’s only power plant shut down on Wednesday, one day after Israeli officials confirmed the country would shut off its supply of food, fuel and electricity into the territory. Gaza is now reliant on generators, which are used not only in homes and businesses, but to supply power to essential services, including its hospitals. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a “complete siege” on Gaza on Monday, as Israeli troops continue retaliatory air strikes into the territory.
Further Reading
Gaza’s Lone Power Plant Shuts Down (Forbes)
Israel Vows ‘Mighty Vengeance’: Unprecedented Hamas Attack Leaves At Least 200 Dead (Forbes)
