Blinken says world "should be revolted" by Hamas attack on Israel
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the world "should be revolted" by Hamas' attack on Israel.
The big picture: Hamas caught Israel by surprise early Saturday when it launched thousands of missiles, broke through the border barrier between Israel and Gaza and invaded several Israeli villages and towns.
- Hamas took a "significant number" of Israelis hostage, IDF international spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN.
- Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog also said he understood Americans were among those taken hostage by Hamas, though Blinken said he could not confirm the information but the U.S. was working to verify reports.
- As of Sunday, at least 700 Israelis and 413 Palestinians have died since the attack began, per health authorities. Thousands have been injured.
What he's saying: "This is a massive terrorist attack that is gunning down Israeli civilians in their towns, in their homes, and as we've seen so graphically, literally dragging people across the border with Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children," Blinken said on ABC's "This Week."
- Blinken also noted this was the worst attack on Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began almost 50 years ago to the day.
Catch up quick: Israel formally declared war on Sunday, setting the stage for a massive military operation.
- On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Palestinians living in the densely-populated Gaza to leave places where Hamas fighters are hiding ahead of Israel's planned military response to the attack.
- President Biden, who said the U.S. stands with Israel, is planning to announce military aid to Israel, though the chaos in Congress and the current lack of a permanent House speaker could hinder such efforts.
Between the lines: Like the Israeli government, the Biden administration was surprised by the Hamas attack. Two U.S. officials told Axios' Barak Ravid that there was no intelligence that even remotely suggested such a scenario.
- "There will be time to look at that, and to make determinations about what may have been missed," Blinken said of potential intelligence failures. "Right now, the focus has to be on the effort ... to repel the aggression by the Hamas terrorists, to push them back, and to put Israel in a position where this doesn't happen again."
Go deeper: Death toll rises in Israel and Gaza as fighting continues: What to know
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new death toll figures from health authorities.
