Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Israel, where an unknown number of Americans are being imprisoned by Hamas militants who have threatened to begin executing hostages.
The State Department announced the trip in a press release Tuesday, but did not mention the hostages:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan October 11-13, 2023, where he will meet with senior officials. The Secretary will reiterate his condolences for the victims of the terrorist attacks against Israel and condemn those attacks in the strongest terms. The Secretary will also reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with the government and people of Israel. He will also discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday Americans are among those being held hostage.
“I’ve directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise the Israeli counterparts on hostage recover- — recovery efforts, because as president I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world,” he said at a press conference.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan later on Tuesday confirmed that so far, at least 20 Americans are missing, but said they did not know the number of Americans being held hostage.
According to the Daily Mail, Americans missing include Chicago high school graduate Natalie Raanan, 18, and her mother, Judith Ranaan, 34-year-old Daniel Ben Senior, who had attended the Nova musical festival when Hamas terrorists attacked, and Hersh Polin-Goldberg, 23.
A Chicago-area high school is fearing for the life of a 19-year-old graduate and her mother, who both disappeared during the Hamas terrorist attacks.. https://t.co/me3oT4RyQg
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) October 10, 2023
Rachel Goldberg, the mother of Polin-Goldberg, told CNN, that she has also not heard from her son since Saturday.
However, she said she heard from eyewitnesses that their son’s arm was blown off from his elbow down, but that he applied a tourniquet with a t-shirt. She said after that, Hamas militants ordered survivors in the shelter he was in to walk out with them.
Goldberg-Polin had texted his parents, “I love you,” and “I’m sorry.”
Itai and Hadar Berdichevsky were reportedly murdered after hiding their 10-month-old twins during the Hamas terrorist attack. The babies were found around 14 hours after their parents’ deaths. (Facebook)
Other missing Americans include Itay Chen, a former New Yorker who was serving in the Israel Defense League, sisters Norelle and Roya Manzuri, Amit Cohen, 35-year-old Sagui Deke-Chen, and 66-year-old Adrienne Neta.On Wednesday, Pope Francis called for the release of all hostages.
“I continue to follow, with pain and apprehension, what is happening in Israel and Palestine. So many people killed, and others wounded. I pray for those families who saw a feast day turn into a day of mourning, and I ask that the hostages be immediately released,” he said, according to India Times.
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