The president of the United States, Joe Biden, promised this Tuesday that his country will give Israel everything it needs to defend itself in response to the attack carried out on Saturday by Hamas and which has caused an escalation of violence with hundreds of fatalities on both sides.
In a speech at the White House, Biden also confirmed that there are American citizens among those kidnapped by Hamas and raised to 14 the number of American nationals who have died in Israel.
“We must be absolutely clear: we stand with Israel,” said the president in this speech in which he was flanked by US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We are going to make sure that Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens and defend itself to respond to this attack,” said Biden, who assured that the US will continue to provide aid to Israel for the duration of its war against Hamas. .
Israel will receive weapons from the US
Specifically, he explained that the US is already sending Israel ammunition and the components it needs for the Iron Dome air defense system, which Israel used these days against missiles launched from the Gaza Strip.
In addition, the United States has strengthened its military presence in the region by deploying combat aircraft, including the sophisticated F-35 and F-15, and sending a group of aircraft carriers and destroyers to the Eastern Mediterranean, including the ship USS Normandy, equipped with anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-submarine missiles.
Biden began his speech by calling the Hamas attack an “act of pure evil” and described scenes of horror with young people massacred while attending a music festival and parents who had to hide with their children while Hamas militants paraded through cities in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip.
He also took the opportunity to criticize Hamas’ methods and accuse it of using civilians in the Gaza Strip, where 2.3 million people live, as a shield against Israel.
“There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse. Hamas does not defend the right of the Palestinian people to dignity and self-determination. Their stated goal in relation to the State of Israel is to kill the Jewish people. “They use Palestinian civilians as human shields,” said the president.
Biden expresses support for Netanyahu
Just before this speech, Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to whom he informed that the US response will be “swift, decisive and overwhelming” and to whom he reiterated that democracies like the United States and Israel are more safe when they act in accordance with the rule of law.
Israel responded to the Hamas attack by declaring a state of war on Saturday and bombing the Gaza Strip, marking the worst escalation in decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The total number of fatalities exceeds 1,700 people. On the Israeli side, the death toll rises to 900 and more than 100 people have been kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
On the Palestinian side, Israel’s aerial bombardments in Gaza have left 830 dead, to which are added the 1,500 Hamas militiamen who have died in Israeli territory after the Army regained control of the cities they had taken in recent days. .
Americans among those kidnapped by Hamas
During his speech, Biden confirmed that there are American citizens among those kidnapped by Hamas and raised to 14 the number of US nationals who have died in Israel.
“We now know that there are American citizens among those kidnapped by Hamas. “I have instructed my team to share intelligence and make experts from across the United States Government available to Israeli authorities to assist them in the recovery and rescue of hostages,” he announced.
Until now, the White House had confirmed that 11 American citizens had died as a result of the attack, but the president raised the number to 14 on Tuesday.
The United States is on alert for the possibility of attacks on synagogues and other centers of the Jewish community on US soil.
In this regard, Biden explained that the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are coordinating with state and local police to identify any possible threat within the country.
By Nadeem Faisal Baiga
