U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Confirms Reports of American Casualties and Possible Hostages in Israel-Hamas Conflict

The United States is actively working to verify reports that several Americans may have been killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as reports of possible U.S. hostages, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.

In an interview with “Face the Nation,” Blinken said, “We have reports that several Americans may be among the dead. We are very actively working to verify those reports. Similarly, we’ve seen reports about hostages and they’re, again, we’re very actively working to verify those reports.”

The attack has killed hundreds and Hamas fighters have taken a number of civilian and soldiers hostage. While there has been a decrease in activity in some parts of Israel, intense fighting continues around Gaza.

When asked if the Hamas assault was over and if there were more attacks to come, Blinken said the assault wasn’t over. He added, “But to put this in perspective, this is the worst violence that we’ve seen between Israelis and Palestinians in years.”

The United States is working to verify the reports of American casualties and hostages, and is urging both sides to de-escalate the conflict. The U.S. is also calling for a ceasefire and for both sides to return to the negotiating table.