An elderly Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair was among more than 100 people taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas this weekend, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
The Palestinian attack on Israel was the worst in 50 years (since the Yom Kippur War in 1973) and also very different, Blinken told ABC News’ “This Week.”
“There is a fundamental difference. That [1973 conflict] It was a war from state to state, from country to country, from army to army,” Blinken said. “This is a massive terrorist attack that is shooting dead Israeli civilians in their cities, in their homes.”
Blinken then appeared to reference videos circulating online of an elderly woman in a wheelchair being kidnapped by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel.
“As we have seen so graphically, they are literally dragging people across the border into Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children,” Blinken said.
“So you can imagine the impact this is having throughout Israel, and the world should be outraged by what it has seen,” he added.
An elderly woman makes a peace sign holding a rifle next to a masked man. Twitter/@ytirawi Videos shared online show people in Israel being taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists. Via REUTERS
Blinken also confirmed on Sunday that the Biden administration believes several Americans have died in the conflict still raging in Israel.
“Yes, we have reports that several Americans were killed. “We are working overtime to verify that,” Blinken told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans and, again, we are working to verify those reports,” he said.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer confirmed that the Americans were among “dozens” of hostages taken by Hamas, according to an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Dermer declined to estimate the number of captive Americans, but said the hostages included women, children and the elderly.
At least 100 people have been taken hostage in Israel by Hamas. AP
The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas on Saturday unleashed a surprise attack and barrage of rockets against Israel, along with a ground attack, killing more than 600 Israeli citizens and wounding more than 2,100 others.
At least 100 people have been taken hostage and the death toll is expected to rise, authorities said.
Hamas terrorists were seen taking hostages from Israel and parading them down the street in horrifying videos that have been shared on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Saturday that “we are at war” and promised that Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Gaza health officials report that at least 300 Palestinians have been killed and 2,200 wounded.
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