9 Americans die in Hamas-Israel violence, unclear if any are New Yorkers; NY politicians react to attacks
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At least nine Americans have died in bloody violence between Hamas and Israel, a U.S. official said Monday, the third day since Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack in Israel.
Matt Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said Monday morning that an unspecified number of Americans remained unaccounted for in Israel, and that America was working to determine the tally.
The identities of the dead Americans were not immediately released, and it was unclear if any were from New York, which is home to about 1.6 million Jews.
“We can confirm that there are nine American citizens who have lost their lives as a result of these horrific attacks,” Miller told MSNBC. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
The State Department said it was in contact with the families of the dead Americans. More than 1,200 people have already been reported dead in the conflict, which was escalating Monday as Israel ordered a retaliatory assault on the blockaded Gaza Strip.
At least 700 people have died in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The Palestinian death toll was 560, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday.
Major airlines have canceled flights into and out of Israel.
Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat who represents much of central and eastern Queens, wrote a letter to the State Department asking it to “use all resources at its disposal” to help Americans in Israel return to the U.S. A spokesman for Meng, Jordan Goldes, said a “handful” of Meng’s constituents were in Israel.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Brooklyn Democrat, said in a statement late Sunday night that he had been briefed on the rising American death tally — then four — and that it would rise.
“The viciousness and brutality of this unprecedented attack from Hamas targeting innocent civilians — children, families, seniors — is overwhelming and heart wrenching,” added Schumer, who is Jewish and is currently on a trip to China.
Schumer, the majority leader, met with China’s President Xi Jinping on Monday and urged China to stand with the U.S. in a united front in support of Israel, Schumer’s office said. Schumer’s spokesman, Angelo Roefaro, said the majority leader convinced Xi to strengthen a statement opposing violence against civilians in Israel.
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New York City is home to the largest Jewish population of any city on the globe. It also has a significantly smaller Palestinian population; the exact size is not clear, but could number in the tens of thousands.
One New York City congressman, Dan Goldman, was in Israel when the fighting began, having made a trip for a family Bar Mitzvah, his office said.
Goldman and his family “sheltered from Hamas rocket fire in their hotel’s interior stairwell until early Sunday morning,” his spokesman, Simone Kanter, said in a statement.
Goldman, who represents lower Manhattan and sections of Brooklyn, returned to New York City on Sunday afternoon, Kanter said.
PHOTOS: More than 1,000 dead in war between Israel and Hamas
In response to the attacks by Hamas, Israel’s military struck more than 1,200 targets in the Gaza Strip between Saturday and Monday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF said it hit another 1,200 targets on Monday.
“What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told mayors of border towns, according to the BBC. “We are going to change the Middle East.”
Some Israelis have been taken hostage by Hamas militants, according to Israel. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the U.S. was working to determine if any Americans had been taken hostage.
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“We’ve seen reports about hostages,” he told NBC News, referring to Americans. “We’re very actively trying to verify them and nail that down.”
With Joseph Wilkinson
