U.S. officials are investigating reports that Americans are among the dead in Israel

The Biden administration is investigating reports that some Americans were killed Saturday during the Hamas attack on Israel and that other Americans are being held hostage, according to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

He said on “Meet the Press” that U.S. officials are “very actively” trying to verify those reports and “establish the facts” of what’s happened on the ground.

“Any American anywhere being who is detained or held hostage — that is going to be a priority for this government, for this administration,” Blinken said.

In the hours since Blinken’s appearance on “Meet the Press,” key committees in the U.S. House of Representatives have been briefed on the situation in Israel and told that four Americans have died so far, according to CNN.

“The death toll is expected to rise,” CNN reported.

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The fighting in Israel began Saturday with bombings and an insurgence into Israeli communities.

“Hamas militants, backed by a volley of thousands of rockets, broke through Israel’s security barrier and rampaged through nearby communities,” according to The Associated Press.

Israel’s government mobilized a counterattack soon after the bombings started and has since declared war.

“We are embarking on a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.

He later added, “We have begun the offensive phase, which will continue with neither limitations nor respite until the objectives are achieved.”

According to reports from the Israeli media and from Palestinian leaders, more than 1,100 people have died so far — around 700 in Israel and more than 400 in the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported.

President Joe Biden has said that his administration “stands with Israel.”

“The United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back. We will make sure they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves,” he said on Saturday.

After consulting with Biden, officials at the U.S. Department of Defense moved ships and planes closer to Israel and provided other resources directly to Israel.

“Strengthening our joint force posture, in addition to the materiel support that we will rapidly provide to Israel, underscores the United States’ ironclad support for the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli people,” said Defense secretary Lloyd J. Austin III in a statement released Sunday.

As the Biden administration investigates reports of Americans being killed or held captive in Israel, U.S. airlines are changing flight plans in hopes of keeping travelers safe.

Since Saturday, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv due to fighting in the area, according to CBS News.

But this decision has left some Americans stranded, including 53 members of a Baptist church in Florida who traveled to Israel last week.

“The group is now desperately trying to escape the area” and looking for alternative travel plans after they were rebooked on a Thursday flight out of Tel Aviv, according to The Detroit News, which reported that two of the 53 travelers are the parents of Detroit Lions’ linebacker Alex Anzalone.

In its statement on travel restrictions, Delta said it’s working with the U.S. government to help Americans currently in Israel safely return home.

Delta “will work with the U.S. government as needed to assist with the repatriation of U.S. citizens who want to return home,” the statement said, per CBS News.