Biden: Americans Were Taken Hostage by Hamas

President Biden condemned the Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend as "pure unadulterated evil" Tuesday and confirmed that Americans were among those being held hostage, reports the New York Times. He did not say how many, though he raised to 14 the number of Americans killed in the attack. "We stand with Israel," the president said, per the Washington Post. "Let there be no doubt—America has Israel's back." Other highlights:

• "The brutality of Hamas's blood thirstiness brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS," said Biden. "This is terrorism."
• In describing the "sheer evil," he said that women were "raped, assaulted, and paraded as trophies," and that babies were among those killed. "There are moments in this life … when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world," Biden said.

• The president said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday afternoon and promised that the US would send more military assistance for Israel's rocket-defense system. While he defended Israel's right to respond to the attack, he said he reminded the prime minister that the US and Israel are democracies and must act "according to the rule of law," per the Times.
• "Terrorists purposely target civilians, kill," Biden said. "We uphold the laws of war, law of war. It matters. There's a difference."
• "Our hearts may be broken, but our resolve is clear," he said, per CNN. "Yesterday, I also spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and UK to discuss the latest developments with our European allies and coordinate our united response."

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)