US citizens among Israeli settlers in captivity: Israeli amb to UN

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
8 Oct 2023 21:36

Israeli ambassador to the United Nations says that dozens of American citizens are currently being held captive in Gaza.

Gilad Erdan speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, "Tel Aviv", July 14 2016 (AP)

The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said that dozens of American citizens are among the settlers being held captive in Gaza.

Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told CNN, that they have reports of the killing and disappearance of many Americans, indicating that his country is working to investigate this.

This comes as Israeli settlers decry the security and military establishment as leaving them stranded.

They were quoted as saying, "We were left to our fate... The fighters entered the houses and did as they pleased," questioning, "In what scenario does something like this happen in Israel?"

The Israeli Channel 12 also mentioned that the Israeli forces have started evacuating the settlers 4 kilometers away from the barrier fence between the occupied territories and the Gaza Strip.

Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a phone call with US President Joe Biden in which he communicated Washington's unwavering support to "Tel Aviv", Netanyahu's office said on Sunday.

Amid escalating tensions with Gaza, the two leaders engaged in their second conversation in less than 24 hours.

According to the White House, US President Joe Biden has requested increased assistance for "Israel" in view of what they described as the "Palestinian-Israeli conflict's escalation and recent Hamas attacks."

"The President and the Vice President have been briefed this morning by their national security team on the situation in Israel. The President directed additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas," the White House said in a statement.

According to the statement, US national security teams are collaborating with Israeli and other colleagues around the region.