TRENTON, NJ – The U.S. State Department verified on Saturday that 29 American citizens have been killed in Israel amid ongoing hostilities with Hamas. Additionally, 15 U.S. nationals remain unaccounted for, along with one lawful permanent resident of the United States.
One New Jersey man, an IDF soldier has been confirmed killed and another was taken hostage last weekend during the initial attack by Hamas.
In an official statement, a State Department spokesperson expressed condolences to the families of the deceased: “At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 29 U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected. We are not commenting further on the circumstances of the U.S. citizen deaths or the identities of the deceased at this time.”
The State Department also acknowledged that 15 American citizens and one lawful permanent resident are currently missing. According to the spokesperson, “At this time, we are also aware of 15 U.S. citizens who are unaccounted-for, as well as one lawful permanent resident.”
U.S. government personnel are actively working to locate the missing individuals. State Department officials have already reached out to the families of those unaccounted for and are collaborating closely with the Israeli government. “The U.S. government is working around the clock to determine their whereabouts and is working with the Israeli government on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to advise the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts,” said the spokesperson.
The State Department stated that it could not provide further information due to “privacy and security reasons.” However, it confirmed that the U.S. government is fully engaged in efforts to resolve the crisis.