‘Like hell on it’: Joe Biden on Americans held hostage by Hamas in Gaza
At least 14 Americans are unaccounted for from the day of the attack on Israel.
United States President Joe Biden on Friday said his administration was “working like hell” to rescue American hostages held by Palestine-based militant group Hamas.
"I am not gonna go into the detail of that, but we are working' like hell on it," Biden was quoted as saying in a CBS News interview clip. Follow Israel-Hamas war LIVE updates here.
Israel claims that Hamas took 150 people hostage when it attacked the country from the Gaza border on October 7. According to the White House, at least 14 Americans are unaccounted for from the day of the attack.
At least 1,300 people were killed in the worst attack on civilians in Israel's history. Over 1,900 Gazans, including more than 600 children, have been killed in waves of retaliatory missile strikes by Israel on Gaza.
On Friday, Biden, at a separate event, said that he spoke with the families of Americans who have been taken hostage by Hamas militants.
"They're going through agony not knowing what the status of their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, children are," he said. "It's gut-wrenching.
He added that the White House was working closely with Israel and other partners in the region to secure the release of the American citizens.
"We are working around the clock to secure the release of Americans held by Hamas, in close cooperation with Israel and our partners around the region," he said. "We're not going to stop until we bring them home."
The US president said that addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was a “priority”, reported AFP.
"We can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas's appalling attacks, and they're suffering as a result as well," Biden said during a speech in Philadelphia.
Further, Biden also reiterated his support for Israel and described Hamas militants as "pure evil."
"We are making sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and respond to these attacks," he said.
