US President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

At least 11 Americans have been killed and an unknown number likely taken hostage, US President Joe Biden confirmed on Monday as the death toll from Hamas’ surprise terrorist attack on Israel over the weekend reached 900.

“We also know that American citizens still remain unaccounted for, and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts,” Biden said in a statement. “While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas. I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.”

Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group in control of Gaza, claims that it has taken more than 100 hostages from Israel and that it will begin executing them in response to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

After conflicting reports throughout the day about whether Israel had eliminated all of the more than 1,000 terrorists believed to have taken part in Hamas’ invasion on Saturday, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman on Monday afternoon said that Israeli security forces had re-established control of southern Israel.

“There are still attempts by Hamas and other terrorists to get across the border and get into Israel and to attack in other locations, but the IDF has regained control over all of the Israeli communities,” Lt. Colonel (Res.) Jonathan Conricus said. “There are no more active terrorists in any of the communities, but there is fighting along the border, but we are now back in control of the situation.”

Conricus added that Israel has mobilized 300,000 reservists in the past 48 hours, the fastest and largest such mobilization in Israel’s history. 

Speaking to the Israeli people on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the campaign against Hamas had only just begun and that Israelis should expect a difficult campaign.

“The images of the devastation and destruction from the Hamas strongholds in Gaza are just the beginning,” Netanyahu said. “We have eliminated many hundreds of terrorists, and we will not stop there. I said that every place from which Hamas operates will turn into ruins. It is already happening today, it will happen even more in the future.”

“I assure you dear citizens,” the prime minister added, “at the end of the campaign all our enemies will know that it was a terrible mistake to attack Israel. What is done to our enemies in the coming days will resonate with them for generations.”

Netanyahu also called on Israel’s opposition leaders to join a national unity government, and said that Israel was working to fortify the northern border following clashes with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terror group based in Lebanon.

Hamas, like Hezbollah, also receives weapons and funding from Iran.