President Biden on Tuesday condemned Hamas’s attack as pure evil after the shocking multi-pronged attack on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip that killed hundreds of civilians, including at least fourteen American citizens.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier on Tuesday to discuss the situation on the ground. Biden spoke about the actions he and other allies took to support Israel in the aftermath of the attack and expressed disgust over sickening reports of torture inflicted on innocent civilians by militants.

Our hearts may be broken, but our resolution is clear,” Biden said. He added: Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s support. Ensure that the Jewish and democratic State of Israel can defend itself today and tomorrow, as we have always done. to have.

Biden, in his public comments and statements since Hamas launched its attacks, has repeatedly emphasized his shock at the scale and ferocity of the Hamas attack, a blitz by land, sea and air that took Israeli and American intelligence agencies by surprise and killed hundreds of Israelis killed and left even more wounded.

Retaliatory attacks by Israel on the Gaza Strip have also left hundreds of dead and injured Palestinians in the 230-square-kilometre blockaded area, one of the poorest places in the world. The death toll was expected to rise as Israel bombarded Gaza with airstrikes and sent tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing to UN shelters.

Biden said he has directed his team to share intelligence and military experts to consult and advise Israelis. He also confirmed that the US believes Americans are among dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.

As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world, Biden said.

The White House confirmed Monday that it has already begun delivering critically needed ammunition and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon was reviewing its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to support its ally in the war against to give Hamas a boost.

The Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the far eastern Mediterranean, within range to provide a wide range of air support or long-range strike options to Israel if requested, but also to increase the US military presence there to prevent the war from turning into war . more dangerous regional conflict, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the arrival ahead of an announcement.

The Pentagon has said the U.S. fighters, destroyers and cruisers carrying the Ford will conduct maritime and air operations, including intelligence gathering, interdiction and long-range strikes.

Along with the Ford, the US is sending the cruiser USS Normandy and the destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt, and the US is expanding the F-35, F-15, F-16 and A Air Force. -10 squadrons of fighter aircraft in the region.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters traveling with him to a Ukrainian contact group meeting in Brussels on Tuesday that a small group of U.S. special operations forces are also working with the Israelis to help with planning and intelligence.

Biden underlined the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and their decades-long drive for sovereignty in a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday. But leaders also tried to separate the aspirations of Palestinians from Hamas’s abhorrent acts of terror.

Americans take a dim view of Biden’s performance on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Six in 10 Americans (61%) disapproved of Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, according to an August poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About a third (35%) of American adults approved, which was slightly lower than Biden’s overall approval rating of 42% in the same poll.

Four-in-ten Americans (44%) said the U.S. is providing about the right amount of support to Israel in the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say the US should provide more support to Israel. Four-in-ten Americans (42%) said the right amount of support was being given to the Palestinians. Democrats and Independents were more likely than Republicans to say the Palestinians should receive more support.

It appears that the current crisis will further test public sentiment about Biden’s foreign policy approach in the Middle East.

The Biden White House has pointed out that the handling of the latest conflict between Israel and Gaza in 2021 played a crucial role in limiting the duration and loss of life in a war that stretched over 11 days and left at least 250 in Gaza killed people and killed 13 people. in Israel.

During the 2021 conflict, Biden limited his public comments while privately pressuring Netanyahu to end the conflict. His behind-the-scenes efforts played out even as some of the president’s fellow Democrats pressured him to speak out against Israelis as the death toll in Gaza rose and tens of thousands of Palestinians were displaced by the aerial bombardment, White officials said House. at the time.

But this conflict is unlikely to end so quickly. Domestic and international pressure on Biden could quickly increase to pressure Netanyahu to scale back operations to prevent the suffering of innocent Gazans.

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Seung Min Kim, Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee and Linley Sanders contributed reporting.