At least 22 US citizens are confirmed as dead in Israel, killed during the attacks by the terrorist group Hamas, according to the State Department.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” a spokesperson for the department said on Wednesday.
The new number is a jump from Tuesday when President Biden put the death toll at 14.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan shared on Tuesday that there are still more than a dozen Americans currently unaccounted for, and the government does not know if they were killed, taken hostage by Hamas, or escaped.
During a speech on Wednesday, the president said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would meet with Jewish leaders later on Wednesday
“This attack has brought to the surface the painful memories and scars built by a millennium of antisemitism and genocide against the Jewish people. And in this moment, we have to be crystal clear: there is no justification for terrorism,” Biden said.
Biden went on to say that the U.S. will continue to offer its “unshakeable” support for Israel and the safety of Jewish people.
“The United States has your back, and we’re going to be working on this all day and beyond,” he said.