Blinken discusses US support with Israeli FM

Washington, Oct 10 (IANS) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to discuss Washington's support for the Jewish nation "as it defends itself against Hamas’ terrorist attacks".

In a statement, the State Department said that Blinken "reiterated US condolences to the people of Israel and all those impacted by Hamas’ violence and reaffirmed our efforts to secure the immediate release of all hostages".

The call came a day after President Joe Biden announced that 11 Americans were killed since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7.

"Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed -- many of whom made a second home in Israel," the President was quoted as saying in a statement released by the White House on Monday.

Biden also acknowledged that there were American citizens who still remained unaccounted for.

"While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas. I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the US government on hostage recovery efforts."

According to Israeli authorities, the Hamas is believed to be holding up to 150 hostages, including senior army officers and foreign nationals.